Generator Rex: A Numbers Game
by YellowAngela
Summary: So this story is hidden away from the young-uns. Why? Well, it may contain adult subject matters but no there's no danger of lemons, limes, or slashes. Six and Holiday are enjoying the idyllic married life until his past catches up with him. A hit has been put out on him and The Numbers. Now it's a race against time to figure out what's going on and stop it before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Please read the A/N at the end.**

 **I do not own.**

Cherish. It wasn't really a word in Six's vocabulary. Sure he knew what the word meant, but he never thought about its meaning much less ever used it in his everyday language. That is until now. He woke up to another beautiful day. Beautiful, not because how the world looked outside, but beautiful because of whom he was lying next to. They were married for a little over a year now. It seemed like it had only been a short time since they had met each other: her comment about him being a hired gun, he responding that he didn't use guns. Little did he know that exchange would lead them to where they were now. He checked the time. It was 5AM. Too early for her but it was his usual time to get up. Slowly, extracting himself from her arms, he moved carefully so as to not wake her. When he finally got off the bed, she stirred.

"Mmm, trying to get away from me again?" She asked sleepily with a small smile.

Six leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He replied.

"It's okay. I can fall asleep again." She kissed him back before turning around to snuggle back underneath the covers. "Don't train too hard."

He watched her drift back to sleep before walking into their bathroom. It was strange sharing a bathroom with someone again. It was something he hadn't done since he lived on the island with One. He had to share his room with IV and consequently a bathroom. It was terrible. IV was always leaving the bathroom in disarray. Luckily, his current roommate was considerably neater and more thoughtful. It helped that there were two sinks. Both were kept neat and orderly but hers had more… stuff. He picked up her bottle of hairspray. Funny. He never thought about her using this until it appeared the day after the wedding during the honeymoon. Other things were a surprise like the type of toothpaste she used, her make-up, and other womanly things. He replaced her hairspray and got ready to shower. Lately, he seemed to have slowed down. Usually he would be in and out already and in the training room. Now he dawdled. He realized why. He didn't want to leave his wife. Shaking himself, he turned on the hot water. While waiting for the bathroom to steam up, he started to brush his teeth. After his shower, he began his shaving regimen. Wiping the steam off the mirror, he started with the main shave with a straight edged razor. When he finished, he carefully trimmed his soul patch. He placed his razor back in the mirrored medicine cabinet. As he closed it, he thought he saw someone behind him. Spinning around in alarm, he saw nothing. Leaning his back against the sink, he took a deep breath to steady himself. Checking the bathroom door to make sure it was locked, he continued his routine but cautiously. Finally, he excited the bathroom. Checking to make sure Rebecca was okay, he did a quick scan of the room to make sure there was nothing _abnormal_ before he left.

An uneasy feeling accompanied him all the way to the training room. He trained alone now that Rex was away at college. He started up the droids and began his training. In the middle of the simple exercise, he felt something was wrong. Jumping out of the way, an errant laser fire cut his tie in half. Looking, he realized all the defenses were activated at once. This was not part of the training. Six kicked into overdrive. Somersaulting across the room avoiding the laser fire, he paused long enough to pull out some shurikens. He flung them at the guns in the walls. He managed to knock out a few, enough to have a safe zone so he could get his bearings. He saw that several more droids were deployed. Twisting out of the way to avoid being impaled by training droids, he realized that they were out to kill.

Six's blades slid from his sleeves and sliced the closest droid in two. He dove into a front roll with his blades sticking out on either side, slicing the droids on either side while avoiding the deadly laser fire. Stopping on one knee he leapt up and stepped on the droid's head to launch him above the heads of the attacking droids. Using his blades he sliced through the rest of them as he passed over them. When he landed, the droids fell sparking. A laser ripped through the side of his shoulder. Six grunted in pain but he threw his blade at the offending laser taking in out.

He had to reach the outside and turn off the training sequence. Grabbing one of the broken droids he used it as a shield to block the lasers as he ran to the door. When he got to the door, it did not respond to his command. Using his blade he ran it through the control panel. Sparks flew out and the locking mechanism disarmed leaving a small crack. Six pried open a space wide enough for him to get through. Tossing his shield, he squeezed through. He fell heavily on the other side. As he started to get up, something grabbed his leg. Glancing toward the door, a training droid had stuck its arm through the crack. Six sliced off the arm at its base. In disgust, he wrenched open its grapple off his ankle. He could see blood seeping through his trouser where the robot had grabbed. Six hobbled up careful not to put his full weight on the injured leg.

He managed to get to the console and shut down the training sequence before collapsing into a chair. Now that the adrenaline was running out he was starting to fell all the aches and pains from the attack. Glancing at the panel to see if he could figure out what Six picked up the ear piece that he had left on the console.

"Six to White. We have a problem." Six stated.

0o0

White watched from the monitor as Six dabbed iodine on his cuts.

"I checked the system. Someone has tampered with our computers." White said.

"No kidding." Six said through gritted teeth.

White narrowed his eyes. "Don't get snippy with me, _partner_ "

Six didn't answer. He continued bandaging himself up. There was quiet. Finally, Six broke the silence. "Now what?"

White sighed and leaned back in his chair, acknowledging the unspoken apology. "Have you checked The Network?"

Six's head snapped up at the screen. "You don't think…" He left the rest unspoken.

"Someone tapped into our computers… _our computers_ and tried to kill you. That kind of level of skills… well, you know what that can mean."

Six's face hardened into a scowl. He limped to a computer. After a few minutes, his shoulders slumped a fraction of an inch. White noticed.

"That bad?" White asked.

"See for yourself." Six said emotionlessly.

White turned on a different monitor on his desk. His eyes ran across the screen. He gave a low whistle. "It's the death card." After a moment, he added, "There's a hit on all of you."

Six was already on the phone. "Five? You there? Have you checked The Network?"

There was silence as Six listened to the person on the other side. "Yes, plan delta zero, zero eight." He hung up. He stared pensively at the screen.

"What are you going to tell her?" White asked.

"Nothing. The less she knows, the safer she will be." Six said flatly.

White snorted. "I'm sure she'll love that."

"What else can I do?" Six countered.

"You're going to have to get out of here without them knowing. I'm sure there must be a dozen lowlifes watching this place." White noted.

"Can you get Callan to do a sweep?" Six asked.

"I've already ordered one. But you know how wily some of them are. There's no telling who might have slipped through." White said.

"I know. I'll have to take my chances. I'm going to have to meet up with my old group and figure out who put this hit out on us." Six got up. "And stop it."

"Your _wife_ isn't going to like you leaving her without so much as a good-bye." White observed.

"As of this moment, she's no longer my wife." Six said flatly.

White raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Do you know what they would do if they found out I had a wife?" Six asked rhetorically.

"You can't unmarry her." White protested.

"That's what we call a divorce." Six answered sardonically.

"A divorce doesn't mean they'll leave her alone." White pointed out.

"They will if it was acrimonious." Six looked at him. "Send her the papers. Don't tell her anything. The reason will be abandonment." Six stopped. Then in a less steady voice he added, "Then back date the papers so that it looks old."

White's face was passive as he listened to his old partner. "You should reconsider."

"When it comes to The Network… there is nothing to reconsider. This was what I was afraid of… my past coming back. I can't let Rebecca be dragged into this mess." Six knew he was rambling. "See you around Knight. Thanks." He walked out the room leaving White staring at an empty room.

"Fool." He muttered before killing the feed.

 **Not to be confused with A Game of Numbers by Flight of Phoenix Wings. Now _that_ is a great story. Unfortunately, it was never completed. I have PMed to ask if the writer could finish it but I never heard back. **

**This story has nothing to do with that however. This is my first rated M story. No, there is no smut, lemons, or slashes. There's a little gore but it's not Texas Chainsaw massacre level. And I don't really do much cursing… at all. So why is it rated M? There are adult subject matters discussed that may not be appropriate for the younger audience… although honestly, from what I've seen on prime time TV now-a-days, this may seem tame in comparison. But if you are under 18, please read responsibly. I realize I may be hurting my readership by placing this at an M but it's a risk I'm willing to take.**

 **Reviews are appreciated. I'm working on two other stories right now (Rex vs. and Gravity AU) so updates may be slow. It's nearing the end of the school year so things get hectic around now.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews, favors, and follows. I hope you like it.** **Updating on a special day. There seems to be something wrong with FF. I updated Gravity AU yesterday but the alert and the story did not move to the top of the list. I hope it gets fixed soon. Meanwhile if you haven't yet, check it out... if you care.**

 **Hey, great news! Solsixtus updated her story Hurricane Whisper. It's rated M so you need to change your settings to see it. So those who have been waiting, go read it! It's an incredible story but it's rated M so read with caution.**

 **I do not own.**

Holiday got up at her usual time and went to her lab at her usual time. As she walked in she noticed that there was no coffee on her desk. Strange. There was always a steaming cup of coffee on her desk every morning since they've been married. But she shrugged it off and set off to work. She can get some coffee later. There was something exciting she and the nanite scientists have been working on. If it worked, then maybe the nanites could be used for its original purpose.

"Dr. Holiday." Caesar greeted her as he walked into the lab. "Here are the schematics of the Regenerator ray, I worked on." He handed her a tablet.

"Thank you." Holiday swiped through a few pages. "Is Meechum and Rylander looking through the data I sent them?"

"Yes, it looks sound." Caesar nodded.

"Great, then we should be able to go into trial testing in a few months." Holiday said excitedly.

"Maybe even sooner, if we can get approval from the FDA." Caesar agreed.

"Oh you know how the government is. Always slow." Holiday reminded him.

"Maybe your friend David can get them to speed up the process." Caesar suggested.

At the mention of David's name she blushed slightly. "No, David has no pull in the government."

Caesar shrugged. "You never know. Someone who started the Consortium probably knows politician or two. Just a suggestion."

"Well, maybe, I'll… uh… I'll think about it." Holiday decided to promptly forget the suggestion.

"Well, better get back to my workshop. Beverly will probably need help installing that engine." Caesar turned to leave.

"Caesar?" Holiday called to him impulsively. "How are… how is Beverly doing?"

"Beverly? You should know. You see her every night." Caesar answered confused.

"No, I mean how are you two doing?" Holiday wondered why someone so smart could be so dense.

"Oh, well, despite some differences in our approaches to the sociological, psychological, and ecological views of the world, we are fine." Caesar turned around and left.

Holiday pondered that for a minute. That seemed to indicate that Caesar and Beverly had nothing in common. Why were they still together? She shook her head. Better not think too hard on it.

Holiday was so absorbed in her work that she didn't even realize that it was late afternoon when she finally stopped.

"Goodness, is it already 4?" She shook her head. Then she wondered where Six was. Usually he came to get her to have lunch together. _Well, maybe he got called on a mission._ She thought. But it was odd because he usually would have come to tell her before leaving. A small nagging feeling started in the pit of her stomach. She tried to tell herself that it was because she was hungry. She got up from her desk, stretched, and went to the cafeteria. The lack of coffee was also starting to catch up. A caffeine headache was starting. When she reached the cafeteria, she quickly went to the coffee station for the magic elixir. Holiday felt better after the first cup. She made another to go with her dinner. Picking up a tray she walked down the cafeteria line picking up an apple and asking the staff to make her a salad. Walking to the nearest table, she sat down to eat her food. She half expected to see Six walk in at any time. But after her meal was complete there was still no Six. Now she was worried.

After bussing her tray, she left the cafeteria to find Calan. He would know where Six went. Holiday didn't much feel like bothering White. They had never really gotten along.

Holiday finally found Calan in the supply room doing inventory.

"Shouldn't someone else be doing that?" Holiday asked as Calan counted the stacks of toilet paper.

"Shoot! You made me lose count." Calan scowled as he started over again.

"Sorry." Holiday began but stopped when he held up his hand.

"396…397…398…399…400." Calan pointed at the last roll with the end of his pen. He scribbled down the number on the clipboard. Holiday was amused that he still used the old fashion pen and paper instead of a tablet like most people.

"Sorry, Doctor Holiday." Calan, ever the gentleman, apologized. "The staff is a little thin this week, so I decided to help out. What can I help you with?"

Holiday smiled to let him know there were no hard feelings. "Have you seen Six?" She asked.

Holiday could have sworn a tiny shadow flitted across his face before he flashed his smooth and easy smile. "Nope, can't say I have."

"Did he go on any missions?" She asked hopefully.

"Not that I know of." He shrugged. "Maybe you should ask White Knight?"

This was what Holiday was avoiding. She didn't want to talk to Knight. "Okay, thanks." She turned to go back to their room. Maybe he left a message there. When she opened the door, she could already sense something was wrong. Everything was as she had left it except his closet door was slightly ajar. Six was so meticulous that he would never leave his closet door opened. With great apprehension she walked to his closet. She slid the door open. For a second her brain could not comprehend what her eyes saw… or didn't see. All of Six's clothes were gone. She ran to the dresser they shared. Tugging on his drawer so hard that it flew off its railings, she realized it too was empty of its contents. Running to the bathroom confirmed all his things were gone. Holiday staggered back into the room. Where were his things? Where was he? All inhibitions about talking to Knight vanished. She bolted to his conference room.

"White! What's going on! Where's Six?" She yelled into the empty room. There was a second pause before the large monitor flickered on.

Holiday looked at his grim face while he looked at her ashen one. A small deposit box extended from the wall.

When she looked questioningly at the papers in the tray, White spoke.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Take them!" His words were harsh but his tone wasn't.

She hesitantly picked up the stack of papers. For the second time that day, her brain could not comprehend what she was seeing.

"Are these…" She licked her lips. Her mouth had gone dry. "Are these…" She couldn't finish her thought.

"Divorce papers." White finished grimly.

"But…but… how? Why?" Holiday's voice faltered.

"I'm sorry." White's face disappeared off the screen leaving a confused and desolate scientist alone in the barren room.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own.**

Rex handed in his final paper to his professor. Then he gave him a salute and left the classroom. Once outside he kicked his heels.

"Free! Survived the first year of college!" He announced to no one in particular. But he was feeling giddy and proud of himself.

"Rex!" Rex paused when he heard his name. He spun around and his smile widened. Circe was walking quickly down the street.

"Hey, beautiful! I'm done for the year. Let's go celebrate!" Rex called to Circe. His smile slowly faded when he saw the grim look on Circe's face. "What's wrong?"

"Read!" Circe pulled her phone out and scrolled to an email. She shoved the phone in his face. Rex quickly scanned the text. He looked at Circe in alarm. "Is this for real?"

"Beverly just sent it to me. You better get back to Providence, now!" Circe told him. Rex formed his Boogie Pack. He looked at Circe.

"I'll be there by tomorrow. I have one more final later today." Circe said.

Rex nodded and flew off.

0o0

Rex got to Providence in record time. He ran in so fast that he collided with Calan.

"Oopphh!" Calan grunted as he fell on his backside. He scowled at first but when he recognized who it was, he smiled. "Rex, good to see you. Put on some weight I see. Freshman fifteen?"

"What? What are you talking about? I'm as fit as ever." Rex pounded his chest which made him cough.

Calan smirked. "Sure, sport. School done?"

Rex remembered why he was there. "Calan, what happened to Six?" Rex watched as Calan's face grow somber.

He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Rex, things aren't what they seem. But believe me when I tell you, you need to stay out of this."

Rex pulled away and looked at the grizzled man in astonishment. He side-stepped him and rushed to White's office. Calan watched him as he disappeared down the hall. He shook his head.

"White!" Rex yelled into the intercom. "We need to talk!" He pounded on his office door.

White's face appeared on the small monitor to the left of the door. "What?"

Rex glared at him. "I know that you know that I know that you know what is going on with Six!"

White looked at him funny. "This is what one year of college gets you?"

"Knock it off, White! Whatever is going on I know that you know …"

"Look, let's not start that again." White stopped him. "Let's talk about this… privately…" The monitor shut off. Rex glared at the black screen. "What are you waiting for, hot shot?" White's voice came from another monitor down the hall. Rex jogged down to it and it shut off when he arrived. Then White's face appeared on another, then another, straight down to Rex's old room. "Inside." White ordered as the screen went black again. Rex went inside. Looking around, he noticed that his room was pristine… and there was no monkey smell. "Bobo moved to another room closer to the hanger." White's face appeared in the large monitor in his room. "As long as the monkey stays out of trouble, I don't care where he goes."

"Yeah, yeah, White. You can catch me up later on what's been happening around here… AFTER you tell me what's going on with Six. I know…"

"Do I have to tell you again?" White scowled at him. "$70,000 a year and you'd think they would have expanded your vocabulary."

Rex scowled back. "Okay, how's this? I perceive that the veracity of Six's disappearance has not been properly apprised to us."

White lifted an eyebrow while Rex stared back at him defiantly. White sighed. "You're right. Something is going on."

"Don't deny it, White. I can tell when you're lying… what did you say?" Rex stumbled.

"The Numbers have been marked for termination by The Network. Six was trying to protect Dr. Holiday by distancing himself from her. He left to deal with the situation." White said plainly.

"Wait, you know about The Numbers?" Rex asked incredulously.

"I knew Six long before you did, Rex." White said almost bitterly. "I was hired to kill him but I saw great potential and decided to make him my partner instead."

"Quewha?" Rex stared dumbfounded.

"What? I had a life outside of you." White said slightly amused by the reaction. Then he grew serious. "The Network is no joke. It's an underground organization that writes the rules for every mercenary, assassin, and freelance spy out there."

"They have rules?" Rex gaped.

"Of course! Otherwise there would be chaos. Now, not every gutter trash follows the rules but there are consequences. The Network also lists jobs and connects people to them."

"What like an evil Linkedin?" Rex asked.

"More like an evil Monster jobs." White replied.

"Why didn't you tell Doc? I mean she has the right to know that Six didn't really abandon her." Rex said.

White narrowed his eyes. "Were you listening, hot shot? I just said, that this is a deadly organization! If they can get to Six through anyone he cares about, they will. Dr. Holiday would insist on joining Six. She is not equipped to handle this."

"Why are you telling me?" Rex asked confused.

"Because Rex, Dr. Holiday may not be equipped to handle deadly international killers… but you are." White told him pointedly.

Rex looked at his hands that became Smack Hands. "Oh yeah!" He agreed.

"And you could help Six take care of this, don't you think?" White hinted.

Rex's hands grew normal and he clenched one into a fist. "Definitely!"

"Then go to it!" White snapped.

"I'm there!" Rex rushed out of the room.

White was about to end the feed when Rex rushed back in. "Just one question… where am I going?" He asked sheepishly.

White Knight rolled his eyes. "I hate kids." He muttered.

 **Sorry, this is going so slowly. Between school, things happening in my family that I have to deal with, and my other stories, I have no time. I had thought that maybe I could have this done by summer but now I realize it may be ambitious. Hope whoever is reading this is enjoying it. Like I said in my other story, I have a good track record of finishing so yeah, you'll have to trust that this will get done… eventually. BTW Bambeptin found out directly from MoA had they had this backstory for White Knight that included that he was hired to kill Six but they became friends and partners instead. Thought I'd throw that in.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy Memorial Day if you live in the US! Remember those who gave their lives so we could be free.**

 **I do not own.**

Six didn't think he'd be back so soon to the island. He landed his plane on the beach and was pushing his way through the lush jungle. The sounds of insects and birds masked the crunching of the grass underfoot. He made his way to the lodgings on the island where spent his formative years. When he got to an odd structure, his blade slid from his sleeve. He sliced off the encroaching vegetation to reveal a door. Pushing it open, he went inside. Slipping his blade back into his sleeve, he lit an electric torch. Walking through the rooms, a flood of memories assaulted him. He remembered the communal meals shared in the tiny kitchen dining room. He remembered the nights spent smoking while playing cards or watching TV in the living area.

He walked up the circular stairs to the upper rooms. He passes by Dos's quarters. He had the biggest room with his own bathroom. It was located in the ideal part of the house where it caught the island breeze in the afternoon. Then came Trey and Five's rooms respectively. They had to share a bathroom between them. It was the beginning of their life long rivalry. Finally, he reached the end of the hall. A dilapidated wooden door stood slightly ajar. He carefully pushed it open. The hinges complained loudly as the door swung open. Six looked inside. It was the room he had shared with IV.

One had thought he needed a companion but IV's paranoia and habits irritated him to no end. He approached his bed. The covers moved. Six jumped back and his blade slid out again. With his torch he lifted one end and threw it back. A snake rose from the middle of the bed and hissed fiercely. But then it slid down the side and out through a crack in the wall. Six was about to put his blade away when he jumped again.

" Easy, luv." Came the familiar cockney accent. "It's just me." Turning around he saw Five leaning casually against the door frame. Her smirk irritated him but he didn't let it show.

"Is anyone else here?" He asked flatly.

"How should I know?" She shrugged. "I just got here. What a dump." She observed the room.

"It's been abandoned for a while." Six answered.

Five snorted. "Well duh, luv. It's not like any of us has been back since... well, you know."

Six didn't answer. He pushed past her to get back to the stairs.

"Funny you should stop here first. You did say you plan delta zero, zero eight." Five said as she followed him.

"Just making a pit stop." Six said curtly.

"Reliving the past?" Five guessed. "Well, it was glorious."

Six stopped and spun around so fast that Five almost ran into him. Startled, she took a step back.

"None of it was glorious." Six said in a tight voice. "It was all about survival."

Five stared at him for a moment. "Are you saying that the thrill of the hunt wasn't enough for you? That why you left us?"

Six turned around silently and walked down the stairs. He quickly exited the old house. He worked his way over to the volcano where it laid dormant for now. Trey was already there stirring something in a pot over a makeshift fire.

"Just in time for dinner." He announced with a grin. "I's make mah famous gumbo surprise."

"What meat did you use?" Six asked suspiciously.

"That be the surprise." Trey chuckled as he lifted the slop and poured it back into the pot. "Wanna try?" He offered some to him.

Six's face remained passive. "Maybe later." He said noncommittally.

Five came into the clearing. "Are you making that poison again?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Whatever doesn't kills ya makes ya stronger." Trey retorted.

"Ugh, what is the awful smell?" IV appeared from the shadows. "I see it and the stews pretty foul too."

"Ya shut yo mouth. Tis here's gumbo not stew." Trey said indignantly.

"Hail, hail the gangs all here." A fifth voice chimed in. Everyone turned startled, weapons at the ready.

Red eyes glowed from the dark of the jungle. Leaves rustle as the eyes came closer. The four mercenaries tensed as the unknown person came closer. A cane appeared first followed by a highly polished shoe attached to expensive coffee colored pants. When the whole person came into view, the company released a collective gasp.

"Dos!" IV gaped at the dapper man.

"What happened to your face, luv?" Five grimaced.

Indeed Dos did look different. His face looked more reptilian than human. His skin had a scaly blue hue to it.

"Why don't you ask Seis over there?" He hissed with a soft Spanish accent.

They turned to look at Six who scowled at the newcomer.

"It was your own fault." Six stated. "You wanted revenge so bad that you took that EVO serum."

"And who left me no choice? And for what? Some useless interlopers? " Dos spat out.

"We thought you were dead, luv." Five interrupted.

"You would like that wouldn't you? Did Six not tell you what occurred that Christmas? I have been biding my time to fully unleash my vengeance on you." He pointed his cane at Six.

"So you put the hit on us?" IV snarled snapping out of his daze.

"No!" Dos put his cane down as his red eyes turned to IV. "That was not me. I would not leave my vengeance to some second rate hacks. Someone has discovered that I was still alive and have come after me as well."

"Likely story." IV growled. "How did you know we were coming here? None of us told you, I'm sure."

"Really? Because someone left a message for me after the first attempt on my life. They said delta zero, zero eight. I have not forgotten it means to meet back at the volcano."

"It wasn't any of us. We thought you were dead… except for Six! You! You put the hit on us." IV turned his accusation toward Six.

Five rolled her eyes. "Please, luv. Keep your paranoid delusions to yourself."

Six stared at them in turn. "I couldn't have contacted Dos. I wasn't even sure he was alive. But if none of us did... Something's wrong." Six turned around surveying his surroundings. "We can't stay here. Someone knows."

A crack of a twig made everyone scramble into fighting positions. They stood silently in a circle with the backs toward each other as they had been trained.

"Watch out!" Six dove to the ground as a barrage of arrows flew from the underbrush. Rolling upright his blades slid out and he blocked the arrows. Five swung her guitar knocking away them away. IV's bandages whipped away the projectiles. Trey grinned as the arrows flew at him. He grabbed the handle of his pot and swung the contents outward. The goop in the pot stopped the arrows. Dos red eyes flashed before he transformed into a blue lizard with fire blue hair. The arrows bounced off his hide.

"Go!" Six yelled. The group charged at where the arrows came from. Six sliced through the undergrowth. He saw a flash of a metal buckle that disappeared through the tangle of vines. "One of them's this way." He shouted running after him. Six didn't look to see where the others had gone. He was focused on finding his assailant.

Six followed the rustle of the grass. Using his blades to cut a swath through the thick flora, he stumbled back to where he left his jet. The beach was empty. Six carefully stepped out. Suddenly he twisted his body just in time to avoid an arrow through his head. Six instinctively threw a shuriken. He heard a scream and saw a body drop face down. Six ran to the injured man and rolled him over. To his surprise the man in a black balaclava sucker punched him. Six staggered back as the man struggled to get up.

"Who hired you?" Six demanded as the attacker raised his arm. A small but deadly arrow came from his wrist. Six dodged it and sent a flying kick straight for his chest. The man grabbed his chest in pain but shot another wrist arrow at him. Six blocked it with his blade. Charging, Six neatly disabled the weapon on his arm, before he did a roundhouse kick to the goon's head. The man fell backwards. Six pinned him with his legs and yanked off his mask. Holding the point of his blade to his neck, he demanded again, "Who sent you?"

"The Network." He spat out.

"Who in the Network?" Six growled, the point touching his neck.

"You know the rules." The assailant told him.

"I don't give a rat's… about the rules! Tell me or you won't have to worry about them anymore!" Six pressed the blade so that it drew blood.

"Okay, okay, it was…" The man's head exploded. Blood splattered over Six. In shock, Six glanced up to see Dos with his cane pointed out standing on the rocks above.

Six got up in fury. "He was about to tell me who was behind the hit!" He bellowed.

"You were going to let him live. I took care of him for you." Dos who had returned to his mostly human state said coldly.

"Dos!" Six reached him in two bounds. It took all his discipline not to cut him down. "I needed him alive!"

"Bah, you don't need him. We will handle it our way!" Dos turned to leave.

"How? By killing every member of the Network?" Six yelled.

Dos turned calmly. "If we have to…" Then he walked away leaving Six shaking with rage.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own**

A red figure suspended between two turbines in the distant sky approached the uncharted island. He was on his phone.

"Yeah, so White said that Six did it to protect Doc. No, don't tell Beverly. She'll tell Doc and that would put her in danger." Rex went silent as he listened to the person on the other side. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going to try to help him get to the bottom of this. I don't know. I hope not. But Doc is understanding, right…" He went silent again. His face became grim. "Well, try to convince her not to be hasty… I know. Just try." Rex listened again. "Do me a favor? Keep an eye on her. Who knows who might go after her even though Six _abandoned_ her. Yeah, don't worry. I'll be ditching this phone tomorrow. I have its replacement. Me too. Bye." Rex hung up as the island came into view. He immediately saw some unfamiliar jets on the beach. He frowned. Six and the Numbers would be more careful than leaving their vehicles in plain sight. Rex landed behind some craggy rocks a little ways off from the beach. Pushing his way through the vegetation he came around the back of the jets for a closer look.

"Marik, we lost contact with Forrest." A man dressed in camouflage fatigues called to another similarly dressed man.

Marik cursed. "Well, send out the beta forces. Make sure they don't leave the island alive!"

Just as Rex thought, they were after the Numbers. Well, he could even up the odds. From his arm sprouted the Slam Cannon. A second later one of the jets was crushed by rocks.

"What the…" One of the men cried. All the mercenaries moved away from the crushed jet trying to see where the assault was coming from.

Another jet was destroyed.

"Over there!" They aimed their guns and unloaded their weapons for a full minute. Bullets ripped through the greenery. When they stopped, there was a sound of cracking and a tree fell over. There was silence. Slowly the men approached the area.

"Looking for me fellas?" A voice from behind them made them spin around. Rex stood behind them grinning. "Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me." Rex taunted. "Or rather kiss my…" His hands grew into giant metallic gauntlets. "Smack Hands!" Rex charged.

0o0

Six felt sick to his stomach. He could still smell the blood on his suit from the mercenary Dos had shot from under him. He had finally gotten his rage under control but he was still angry. Dos had killed his one chance to end this quickly. His stomach twisted as he thought about Rebecca. What he did to her was probably unforgivable and the longer he stayed away the greater the chances he would lose her forever, but better losing her than seeing her dead. He clenched his teeth. When he got back to the volcano, he was greeted by a grisly sight of several dead mercenaries. The Numbers stood over their victims smugly.

Trey cracked his knuckles. "Shoot, they not even give Trey his daily exercise."

"They certainly sent the bottom of the barrel." Five said with her guitar resting on her shoulder like a club.

"Did you keep even one of them alive?" Six growled at them.

"And why would we do that?" IV demanded. "They came at us. We took care of them."

"Bah, it's because he's gone soft." Dos spat out angrily. "As useless as the day One met him."

Six resisted the urge to cut everyone down. "Maybe one of them could have told us what is going on."

The Numbers looked at him before bursting into laughter.

"Woohoo," Trey gasped. "You outta the loop, yeah?"

"Six, these peons don't know squat." Five informed him. "The Network no longer does _full disclosure_. They've gotten more discrete in who they share information with."

"But the one on the beach was about to tell…" Six protested.

"Please, he was probably clueless." IV snorted.

"Trying to save his own skin, I'm guessing." Five said.

"So there's no way to know who put out this hit unless…" Six started saying.

"We go to the tippy top." Trey interrupted. "We gonna need to see the boss man."

"That's suicide." Six noted.

"So is waiting for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to come after us." IV retorted. "If you're too scared…" IV was knocked to the ground with Six's blade at his throat.

"I've just had a very bad day." Six said through his teeth. "Don't make me take it out on you." He retracted his blade. He looked at the others. Their expressions were muted. "So it looks like we take our fight to The Network. Where do we start?"

"Obviously, we need to find out where The Network is hiding." Dos sniffed.

"They change their location every other day." Five said. "That's going to be a tall order."

"We should split up and go to our sources, if they're still willing to talk to us." Six suggested. "We may be able to get a lead."

"Fine by me." IV scoffed. His pride was still smarting from Six's attack. "You guys cramp my style anyway."

"What style? You look like a reject from a B horror movie." Five told him.

"Shut up, sister." IV said menacingly. "You of all people shouldn't talk about looks… you wanna be punk rocker."

"Enough!" Six snapped. "We need to keep civil if…" He was again interrupted, this time by explosions. Smoke began to rise from the direction of the beach.

"What was that?" IV asked suspiciously.

"Sounded like a big boom." Trey replied.

"I know what it sounded like." IV retorted.

Six ignored their bickering as he ran to investigate. His jet was there but he had hidden it. He hoped it was still intact.

As he got closer he could smell the pungent smell of chemicals. He carefully peeked from between the greens. The smoke was thick but he could make out a faint shadow that grew larger. Six's blades slipped from his sleeves. He was about to throw his blade at it but something held him back. Instead he waited. The figure grew larger and darker. Finally, it emerged from the cloud.

"Rex?" Six asked in astonishment.

Rex waved his hand in front of his face in an attempt to clear the smoke. He covered his nose and mouth with the other. His goggles were covered with soot. At the sound of his name, he pulled his goggles up. He looked like a reverse raccoon. The goggles had kept the area around his eyes clean. The rest of his face was stained with dirt. Nonetheless, when he spotted his mentor a huge grin brightened his face.

"Hey Six! Boy, am I glad I found you!" He said enthusiastically.

0o0

The Numbers gradually showed up at the Beach. Six and Rex had rounded up the rest of the mercenaries on the beach. Most of their jets were destroyed, save a few. The prisoners were tied up with vines from the jungle and sat in a circle.

"Hola, guys. What's up?" Rex greeted them.

"What's that kid doing here?" IV growled.

"Six has brought his pet." Dos said scornfully.

"Uh, I prefer partner, thank you very much." Rex retorted.

"Hey machine boy, nice to see you again." Five said.

"Likewise, I think." Rex replied.

"Oh, ho, Six's shadow done show up." Trey grinned. "You try my gumbo, no?"

Rex looked at Six who imperceptibly shook his head.

"I'll take a rain check, big guy." Rex declined.

"Come on." Six motioned for Rex to follow him.

"Where you going, luv?" Five asked.

"What I said before." Six stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'm going to see if I can find out who's behind this."

"Wait, what are we going to do with these guys?" Rex pointed to the tied up mercenaries.

"Don't worry, luv. We'll take care of it." Five told him.

"You're not going to hurt them, right?" Rex looked at the Numbers apprehensively. "I mean you're going to drop them off at the nearest police station or whatever."

The Numbers looked at each other.

"Sure, whatever." IV agreed.

"Don't you worry yo pretty little head." Trey grinned. "We take care of things."

"Let's go." Six ordered Rex. Rex hesitated a moment but then turned to follow him.

When they disappeared from sight, Dos put his cane up. "Come, let's _take care_ of them."

As Six and Rex approached the jet Six had hidden, Rex jumped at the sound of a gun shot.

Rex spun around to where they had just been "Six?" He looked questioningly at his mentor.

"Forget it, Rex. We have more important things to do." Six said flatly. He got into the jet. Rex glanced back uncertainly for a second before he got into the jet with Six. The jet started and they lifted off the ground. Rex didn't look out the window as they flew over the beach. He was afraid of what he might see.

 **My prayers are with the people of the UK. Be safe everyone. It's a crazy world we live in.**

 **nighthawk: Sorry, I have no other way of communicating with you. About Gravity AU, I understand how you feel. I was pretty upset myself. But this was all from a dream minus some details in the middle. When I woke up, I was tearing up but felt hopeful and that this is how it should have ended. I was not planning a sequel. The ending implied that the story continues but I left it purposefully ambiguous. You can fill it in with your own imagination. I'm sorry if that's not what you were hoping for. I did warn everyone.**

 **Thank you to everyone who is reading and commenting. Sorry for the slow progress. Life has been crazy.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own.**

"How's she doing?" Circe asked Beverly. She immediately regretted it when Beverly's face darkened to an unhealthy shade of red.

"I don't care if he's supposed to be a dangerous mercenary; I'm going to kill him." She spat out.

Circe wisely said nothing as she let her friend rant about how she was going to gut her brother-in-law, string his guts up, and dance on his corpse. Circe had never seen her friend so angry. Her usual happy demeanor was twisted with rage. Finally, her anger spent she was left panting from the exertion.

"Feel better?" She asked.

Beverly took a deep breath, held it and let it out slowly. "No, but thanks for letting me vent."

"Sure." Circe shrugged. "So can I see her?"

"I don't think she wants to see anyone." Beverly shook her head. "I'm going to try to get her to eat something." She walked down the hall muttering darkly to herself. When she had disappeared around the corner, Circe knocked on the door. She waited for several minutes before knocking a little louder. She was about to knock a third time when she heard a weak voice.

"Come in."

Circe walked through the sliding doors. When the door slid shut, Circe's eyes had to adjust to the dimly lit room. She noticed the wastepaper basket overflowing with tissues. Dr. Holiday was seated at the edge of the bed but got up to greet her. "Hello, Circe. How can I help you?"

Circe felt a pang of guilt as she knew she couldn't tell her the truth. "I just wanted to see if there's anything I can do: paperwork, research, kicking someone's butt."

Holiday gave her a wan smile. "No, it's okay. Beverly's been angry enough for both of us." Her smile faded and her lip quivered slightly. Circe was afraid she was going to cry but instead she pressed her lips together and resolutely sat down. "I just don't understand." She said more to herself than to Circe. "It's not like Six to just… leave… to leave me without so much as a warning. I mean we were fine… I thought." She trailed off in confusion.

"I'm sure it does seem out of character." Circe said carefully.

"Yes… Six is always so protective, thoughtful…" She trailed off again. A frown crossed her features. "Yes, he is protective… too protective sometimes. Maybe to a fault." She got up and began pacing the room. "His actions are out of character unless… There was that time on the island…"

Circe could barely follow her ramblings but Holiday's analytic mind seemed to be kicking in. She stopped pacing and stood stock still. Her arms were crossed and her brows furrowed in thought. Circe was unsure what she should do. Should she leave the doctor alone or should she say something. Since she couldn't decide, she awkwardly stood quietly waiting. Then without warning, Holiday's eyes snapped to Circe's. They were wide with realization.

"Six is in trouble. He's just trying to protect me." She sputtered.

"Um, really?" Circe wasn't sure how she should react. "I mean maybe he's just tired of being married?"

Holiday shook her head. "No, Six doesn't work that way. Someone must be after him. That idiot! If he thinks he can keep me safe by…" She walked past Circe to the door surprising the girl.

"Wait, Dr. Holiday? Where are you going?" She walked after her.

"White." She growled as her stride quickened down the hall to the man's office. Circe helplessly followed.

"But Dr. Holiday, if that is true, wouldn't it be safer to… lay low. Pretend?" Circe huffed as she tried to keep up with the doctor.

Holiday reached White's office. "White Knight!" She pounded the door vigorously. "We need to talk!" When there was no response, Circe nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Maybe he's not there?" She said hopefully.

"White! If you don't open this door, I swear, I'm getting one of Caesar's untested inventions and ramming it through the door!" She yelled pounding louder.

For a horrible second, Circe was afraid that she was going to turn and head towards Caesar's workshop. But the door slid opened. Circe followed her in.

"White! I want to know what's going on! What's _really_ going on! Six wouldn't leave me. Something else is going on and I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT!" Holiday fairly shouted the last part. The large monitor overhead remain dark for a minute before coming to life. White's passive face looked down on the enraged scientist. He studied her for a minute before replying.

"As you know, I am merely disseminated what I've been told. Anything else is pure speculation." He stated flatly.

"That's bullcrap!" Holiday snarled. "This is not like Six… unless he's in trouble." She shifted her tone. "Please White, if there's someway I can help him…"

"You can't." White cut her off. "There's nothing more to discuss." The screen went blank.

Holiday glared for a second before spinning around and leaving. Circe followed her out.

"I guess that didn't help." Circe muttered.

"No, it helped a lot." Holiday stated.

"What? But he didn't say anything." Circe said with surprise.

"He practically admitted it when he said I can't help…" She smirked at Circe.

Circe paused and realized that Holiday had somehow tricked White into revealing what she wanted to know. She had a whole new respect for her.

"Now, comes the hard part. We need to find him." Holiday said.

"How?" Circe asked.

"I'm working on that." Holiday said as she entered her lab. Circe hesitated a minute before going into the lab too.

Circe watched as she bent over and typed something into her computer. Frowning, Holiday then went to another console and typed something into that. "Blocked me will you?" She muttered angrily. Pulling out her cell phone she dialed a number. "Hello, David? This is Rebecca. Can I see you?" There was a pause before she spoke again. "Alright, not here. How about... your office... tonight?... Perfect. See you then." She hung up. Circe's eyebrows rose to her hairline.

"Was that _the David_?" She squeaked. "The one who's handling our finances?"

"Yes. And he also has connections." Holiday got up. "I've got clean up. Tell Beverly I had to go out." Without waiting for her to answer, Holiday walked out leaving Circe wondering what to do.

 **Sorry for the delay. I have been swamped with work and then afterwards I just didn't have the motivation to write. So I'm back. I'm trying to finish by the end of June so I can start season 8 which I kinda have a feeling is my last season. Then maybe a long hiatus with some intermittent stories here and there. So someone else needs to pick up the slack. Thank you for the reviews.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own.**

Rex began to stir. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Rex had fallen asleep in the jet and was now just waking up. Six had flown all night. Rex yawned and stretched. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at the pilot seat.

"Hey, did you sleep?" He asked him.

"I got sufficient rest." Six replied.

"And that would be a no." Rex shook his head.

"We're here." Six said ignoring Rex.

Rex felt his stomach flop which indicated that they were landing.

When the hatch opened, Rex poked his head out to survey his surroundings.

"We're in Atlantic City?" He asked incredulously.

"No, Monte Carlo." Six jumped down next to him.

"Really?" Rex's eyes widened. "Coooool!"

"No, not cool. We are not going to the legitimate businesses obviously." Six stated as he camouflaged the jet.

"Even cooler. We're going into the underbelly, the back alley, the… the… uh…." Rex tried to think of another word.

"Rex," Six pinched the bridge of his nose, "If you want to fit in, you need to act like a mercenary and not a teenager."

"Hey, I'm not a teenager anymore! I can vote." Rex said proudly.

"Where we are going will house the most dangerous, desperate, cold-blooded, and remorseless killers that the world has ever produced…" Six began.

"I'm only hearing cool, adventure, cool, and movie." Rex interrupted.

"Just watch your back." Six then added. "And your wallet."

"Got it, back wallet." Rex patted his backside.

Six resisted groaning.

0o0

Rex blinked at the sign. "Wait, you're telling me that the most evil diabolical people in the world hand out at a coffee shop?"

"Where else would they go?" Six entered the store and a little bell chimed.

"Well, I don't know… maybe a seedy bar or… divey pawn shop? The only thing evil about this place is the prices." Rex glanced at the menu board.

"Looks can be deceiving." Six took a small table at the corner of the shop. Rex sat down across from him.

"Okay, now what?" Rex asked in a hushed voice.

"We're waiting for someone." Six replied. He pulled a twenty from his wallet. "Go order us something."

Rex looked at the bill in his hand. "I dunno know if this'll get anything… maybe half a cup of sludge water."

Six pulled another twenty from his wallet and handed it over to Rex who immediately dashed to the counter. Six surveyed his surroundings. It looked pretty normal but as he told Rex looks can be deceiving. The couple in the other corner could be assassins. The man on the bench with his laptop could be an undercover operative. The woman listening to her music could be a double agent. Six definitely knew the people behind the counter were paid to look the other way when odd things happened. Rex came back with two cups.

"They didn't have hot chocolate. What coffee place doesn't have hot chocolate? So I got the chai tea latte. I hope it's good considering how much it cost. Seriously, chai better mean gold." Rex plopped down Six's drink in front of him.

"Chai means tea. And don't drink it." Six said flatly.

The drink was halfway to Rex's lips. Rex looked at Six before putting his cup down. "So this is called tea tea? And why shouldn't I drink it?"

"Probably poisoned." Six replied. Opening his lid he pulled a small vial from inside his pocket. Popping the cap he added a small drop into his cup. Closing the vial he placed it back in his pocket. Swirling the cup carefully, his dark brown drink turned purple. "Yup, poisoned." He snapped the lid back on.

Rex stared dumbfounded. "They're trying to kill us?"

"No, most likely just trying to incapacitate." Six leaned back.

"And we're still here?" Rex hissed, eyes darting back and forth nervously.

"We're waiting for an old… acquaintance." Six stated.

Just then a small balding man with glasses walked into the coffee shop. He glanced around before heading toward Six and Rex. He pulled a chair from the adjacent table and sat down.

"Hello, Whiz." Six said calmly.

"What do you want, Six?" The man pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his brow.

"You know what. Who put that hit out?" Six leaned in.

"You know that's not how it works. I shouldn't even be here. If anyone sees me here…" Whiz said nervously.

"You owe me Whiz." Six said in a low deadly voice. "That's all I'm going to say."

Whiz sighed. He pulled off his glasses and started wiping them. He placed it back on his face. "I'll see what I can do. Come on."

They all got up and moved toward the door. Suddenly, the man with the laptop blocked their way.

"You're not going anywhere." He said menacingly. From his laptop, he pulled out a gun.

"Uh-oh," Rex gulped. He backed away but bumped into something hard. Turning around he saw the couple that was in the back also holding guns. "Um, Six?"

"I know." Was Six's terse response. "We're surrounded."

It was then that Rex noticed that they were indeed.

A metal door slid down in front of the store cutting off the light from outside.

"No witnesses." The man with the laptop stated. Rex heard a series of clicks from the guns. Rex got ready his block party. But a sudden roar of an engine made everyone stop. The noise got louder and louder until…

A car busted through the metal gate.

"Five?" Six stared as a pink haired lady poked her head from the car.

"Get in!" She yelled.

Rex didn't need to be told twice, Whiz neither. They both scrambled into the back seat.

"What are you waiting for, luv?" Five yelled.

Six paused one more second before he got into the passenger seat.

The assailants recovered and began firing as Six slammed the door. The tires squealed as the car shifted into gear. The car slammed through the other side of the wall.

"What is this car made of?" Rex yelled as the car peeled away.

"Custom made, luv." She grinned.

"What are you doing here?" Six growled at her. "I thought we were going to find our own sources."

"Tsk, tsk, is that how you thank someone who saved your hide?" Five said in mock hurt.

"We would have been fine." Six insisted.

"I'm grateful." Whiz piped up. They both ignored him to continue fighting.

"Like fun you would." Five snorted.

"I have Rex." Six said.

"Oh yeah, pathetic that you have to throw a baby at our problem." Five said.

"Um guys? I hate to interrupt your love fest but we have company." Rex said nervously.

Five looked up and cursed under her breath. "Hang on, blokes. It's gonna be a bumpy night." Everyone was thrown in their seat as she hit the gas.

 **What's Five doing here? Seems suspicious…**

 **Thanks for your reviews.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own.**

 **Happy Summer Solstice!**

"Um, Five?" Rex nervously looked behind him as the cars got closer.

"Just like old times, eh, luv?" She gave a quick glance at Six who scowled back.

"Can't say I miss this." He answered curtly.

"Are you joshing?" She grinned maniacally. "You fight EVO's and other nasties for a living."

"The difference is in the purpose." Six told her.

"Please, the adrenaline's all the same." Five scoffed.

Gun shots rang out. Only Rex and Whiz flinched. "I hate to interrupt your philosophical musings, but guys with big guns…" An explosion made the car swerve. "Check that… big guns and explosives are trying to kill us." Whiz whined.

"Rex." Six looked at Rex. "You know what to do."

"I do?" Rex asked confused. When Six looked at him, Rex sighed. He rolled down the window. Squeezing himself halfway out, he formed his Smack Hands. Ramming his hands into the pavement, he broke off a chunk. Flipping it he managed crush the hood of one of the cars stopping it. Rex saw one of them launch a hand held missile at them. Grabbing another piece of concrete he intercepted the missile. The debris scattered everywhere smashing the windows of the pursuing cars. One of them swerved into another one. Both crashed off the side of the road. Rex went back inside the car.

"Done." He said smugly.

"Not quite, luv." Five said dryly as a car drove straight at them.

Whiz screamed and covered his face. Five made such a sharp turn that everyone slammed to one side. It avoided the car but the turn was so sharp that the car actually fell on its side but the momentum kept the car sliding. Sparks flew everywhere.

"Rex, get us upright!" Six shouted above the noise.

Rex formed one Punk Buster and kicked out the door and forced the car back on its wheels.

The door bounced behind them, blocking the path of the pursuing car which veered around to avoid it. The few seconds gave them the time needed to disappear onto the crowded highway.

"I think we lost him." Rex said when he turned from looking out the back of the car window.

"Just to be sure…" Five took the next exit. She drove through some winding streets before pulling the car into a garage of a ritzy looking high rise.

"Five?" Six asked.

"Just shopping, luv. A girl's gotta look good." She replied cryptically. She drove around the garage several times before pulling into a spot. "There are CCTV cameras to the left and right." She inclined her head. Six walked out nonchalantly. When he was out of view, he pulled out shurikens. A second later both cameras were smoking. Five got out of the car and approached a black Camaro. "For all your faults, you Yanks do know how to build a car." She lazily stroked the vehicle.

"Don't look at me. I was born in Sweden." Rex said.

"I'm an expat." Whiz muttered.

Six ignored her comment. "Your new car?"

"Of course." Five went to her car and brought out a long metal rod and a putty knife.

Rex watched in fascination as she effortlessly popped the door open. She quickly brought out a tool kit, switched license plates, and transferred her equipment from her car to the new one. Settling into the driver's side she glanced at the men. "What are you waiting for? An invitation?"

Rex was about to walk in but Six held out his arm. "What are you doing, Five?"

Five cocked her head. "Saving your hides."

Six shook his head. "Out of the kindness of your heart? I don't think so. I thought we agreed that we'd split up and do our own _research_."

Five pouted. "Really Six? After all we've been through?"

"Especially after all we've been through." Six said dryly.

Five smirked. "You got me. I was meeting my contact but he got offed." She made a slicing motion across her neck. "But before the bloke croaked he did hint that the Network was not as invulnerable as they would have us believe." She studied Six's impassive face. "They're a little technologically impaired, technophobes, in fact." She nodded her head at Whiz and Rex. "It shouldn't be hard for your little mole and pet to get at them from that side."

"I'm a partner." Rex corrected her. Six waved him to be quiet.

"And you're here because…" Six prompted.

She grinned. "I want to be on the winning side."

Six sighed. "You expect me to just trust you?"

Five's grin grew wider. "You don't have much of a choice, luv. I have the wheels and weapons."

"I have my weapons." Six indicated Rex and Whiz.

Five snorted. "And do you even know where to start? Because I do." She ended in a teasing voice.

Six glared at her smug face from behind his shades. He knew she had him again.

"Um, does that mean we're going?" Rex looked between the two mercenaries. Six gave a small nod. "Great! I call shot gun!" Rex raced to the front seat only to be pulled back by the scruff of his collar.

"Get in the back." Six stated.

"Awww! Come on Six! I never get shot gun." Rex complained.

"Maybe next time." He pushed Rex in. Whiz crawled in wordlessly.

Rex peeked from the back. "You always say that… but it never happens!"

Six pushed the passenger side seat back in place before sitting down. Placing his seat belt on, he was careful to avoid looking directly at Five.

"We don't have all day." He said.

From the corner of his eye, he could still see her triumphant smile. But thankfully she said nothing. She jiggled out the ignition. Taking a pair of pliers she stuck it where the ignition use to be. Giving it a quick twist the car started.

"Cool." Rex said from the back.

"Rex, I don't want you learning how to steal a car." Six said sternly.

"I don't have to use pliers. I can just _talk_ to it." Rex said indignantly.

The car pulled out of the parking garage without anyone being the wiser.

0o0

Five's _new_ car pulled into a different apartment complex. This one looked dingy and old compared to the previous one. They had driven quite a while. Six was familiar with this side of town, the shadier side. Five pulled into an open spot. Everyone got out. Five pulled out her supplies which included her guitar. She held that herself. Everyone else was forced to carry the other items.

Taking the elevator up, they arrived at the top floor. She went to the last door in the hallway. Opening up, she waved them inside.

"Welcome home." She said.

"It's not home." Six snapped as he walked in holding a pile of tools which he unceremoniously dumped on the floor when he walked in. Stepping over the pile he scanned the room. It was a fairly large apartment but sparse, filled with only what Five would need.

"Testy." Five said to Six as she shut the door. "I suppose you want to get started. I have a laptop set up in the other room. You can work in there." She motioned for Whiz to follow her. Whiz nervously looked at Six who nodded. Whiz walked after her.

"So I guess you call his Whiz because he's good with computers and stuff." Rex said to Six.

"No, bladder problem." Six said flatly. He walked into the room.

Rex paused a moment. He wasn't sure if Six was kidding or not but then decided he didn't want to know. Rex followed them.

 **Thanks for the reviews. Trying to get these out as quickly as possible.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own.**

"Dr. Holiday, Mr. Feines will see you now." The secretary told Holiday and Circe. Circe wasn't sure how she felt about Mr. Feines. He was the reason she now had her powers but he had tricked her and manipulated her into it. It worked out in the end but she did not appreciate the pain he put her through although admittedly part of it was her fault. When they walked in, David's smile faltered a little. He seemed displeased to see her.

"Rebecca, so good to see you." He said smoothly. "How are you doing?

"Well, to be honest, I have a favor to ask." Holiday said frankly.

"Of course." David leaned forward. "What do you need?"

"I think Six is in trouble. I need help finding him." She said.

David frowned. "He's missing?"

"In a sense." Rebecca hedged. "Do you have any contacts with… some of your former associates?"

David leaned back thoughtfully. "I can find them, I suppose. You don't think your… husband's past is catching up to him, do you?"

"I don't know but I would appreciate any help you can provide." Rebecca was still guarded Circe noticed. After his initial reaction to her, it seemed like he didn't even notice that she was in the room.

"Why don't you come with me? Your friend can wait here." He got up from his desk. Holiday did as well.

Circe kept her face as blank as possible, something she had learned from her years with Van Kleiss. But she was beginning to realize that he didn't know who she was.

"Maybe I should go with you Dr. Holiday." Circe said politely.

"It's okay, Circe. Just wait for me here." Rebecca told her.

"Oh, okay." Circe said hesitantly. Rebecca gave her a reassuring smile and went with David.

Circe watched helplessly as the door closed behind them.

0o0

"Thank you for doing this." Rebecca said to David. "I know it's asking for a lot…"

David suddenly turned and grabbed her by both arms.

"Rebecca, there's something you're not telling me. Please as your friend I want to help. Why don't you tell me what's really going on?" David said gently.

Suddenly Rebecca's nose pricked and tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to hold them back but the several days of strain and anger swelled up. Before she could stop herself she was telling him about the divorce notice and how Six left her."

David's face grew dark. He gently pulled her into his chest to let her cry it out.

"Rebecca, I'm so sorry. You deserve better." He murmured into her hair.

Rebecca alarmed at how nice it felt to be held, tried to push herself away. "No, no it's okay. He didn't mean to hurt me. He's just trying to protect me." It sounded hollow even to her ears.

"That's no way to treat someone as special as you. If he really wanted to protect you he would have let you in so that you'd know what you were dealing with." David said angrily.

Rebecca couldn't help but agree. Six really should have trusted her. They could have worked it out together. They were married now. He was no longer a lone wolf heading out to take care of business by himself.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she felt a finger under her chin. Startled her head was tilted towards David's face.

"Rebecca, don't make excuses for him. If that's how he treats you, you should find someone who cares about you… like me." He said in a hushed voice. Rebecca stared at him dumbfounded. The next thing she knew his lips were on hers. Her brain froze but her body reacted. She pushed him away and slapped him. Immediately her hands flew to her mouth, staring wide eyed at David who nursed the growing red mark on the side of his face.

"I… I'm sorry." Rebecca stuttered.

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't…" They both dropped into awkward silence.

"Maybe… I should go." Rebecca started turning around. David grabbed her arm.

"No, please let me help you." David said.

"I think you've helped enough." Rebecca refused to look him in the eye.

"How about I send you any information I find?" He asked.

"Sure." Rebecca agreed before hastily retreating.

Walking back to David's office she found Circe on her phone texting furiously.

"Let's go." She told the teenager curtly.

Startled by her sudden appearance, Circe looked up. She noted the redness of her eyes. "That was fast. Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yes, fine. Mr. Feines will let us know if he finds anything." She walked away so fast that Circe had to scramble to keep from being left behind.

Circe noted the sudden change of name something she wouldn't have noticed before if it wasn't for the fact that she had been hanging out with Beverly the consummate detective.

"Did something happen?" Circe asked tentatively.

"No." Rebecca said quickly, a little too quickly.

Circe narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong. Dr. Holiday's sudden change in attitude, the odd reception she got from Mr. Feines, all didn't add up. But she needed someone smarter than her to help her piece it together. Now if only she could get her help without giving away Six's secret.

 **Plot thickens.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own.**

Six watched Whiz stare at the screen. Whiz had been working for several hours straight with only a break for a quick dinner of pizza. Finally, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm not getting anywhere." Whiz put his glasses back on. "They might not like technology but they know how to stay hidden."

"I think we should call it a night." Five yawned and stretched. "Machine boy's already out."

Sure enough, Rex was propped up against two chairs, head tilted back, softly snoring.

"Fine." Six said reluctantly. "Do you have any accommodations for us?"

"Well, I'm no inn but I have a few spare rooms." Five said.

Whiz got up and stretched. "Good, I need to lie down."

"Right this way, luv." Five motioned for him to follow. Once they were gone, Six nudged Rex.

Rex snorted awake. "No, I swear I didn't add sodium to water!" He yelled. Then looking around he remembered where he was. "Oh, haha, hey Six, did we find anything out?"

"No, we're going to call it a night. We'll try again tomorrow. Hopefully, Whiz can find their location." Six told him.

"Then we go in there and kick butt!" Rex declared.

"No, I and the other Numbers go in. You stay out of this." Six said firmly.

"Quewha?" Rex asked. "But I thought I was here to help you…"

"Rex," Six interrupted. "It's going to be… messy. I may have to do some… cleaning up. I don't want you doing something you'll regret. When we find their location, we will take care of things."

"You're not going to…" Rex swallowed hard. He wasn't sure how to phrase the question delicately but he already knew the answer. "Do you have to?"

"I'm afraid so." Six said grimly. "The Network only understands one thing… death."

"There has to be another way." Rex protested.

"Rex," Rex never heard his mentor sound so tired. "Sometimes there is no other way. But it's not your problem. Go get some sleep."

"It's my problem if it's your problem." Rex argued. "I'm going to bed but this isn't the end of it." Rex left the room. Six leaned against the table.

"Hey, luv, machine boy gets the couch, so where do you want to crash?" Five stopped when she saw him. "You alright, luv?"

Six straightened. "I'm fine." He said in a tight voice.

"Sure, and I'm the Queen of England." Five scoffed. "This has gotten you all wound up, hasn't it?"

When Six didn't answer, she walked over to him. "Come now, luv, you've dealt with situations much worse than this. We find them whankers, off them, and go back to our lives."

"I can sleep on the chair." Six said ignoring her and grabbing the chair that Rex had occupied a minute ago.

Five sighed. "Suit yourself. I never argue with a nut." She left him by himself. Six walked to the laptop that Whiz had been working on. He had left it running. The cursor blinked at him as if mocking him. Just as he was turning, he saw the cursor move. His eyes snapped back to the screen.

 _You there, Six?_ The cursor magically spelled out the words.

Six lunged at the screen and stared at the question. Hesitantly, he typed in _Yes._

The cursor moved. _I have something to show you._

A picture appeared on the screen. Six froze. His stomach twisted and he tasted bile. It was a picture of Rebecca… and she was kissing David. Suddenly, his knees grew weak. Gripping the sides of the table to steady himself, he called in an amazingly steady voice. "Rex! Come quick."

He was about to repeat it when Rex came staggering in.

"What? What happened?" He asked sleepily.

"Come!" Six ordered. Rex immediately obeyed.

"Woah…" Rex stared at the picture. "I'm sure it's not what it looks…"

"Rex, can you trace where this is from?" Six interrupted him.

Despite his tiredness, Rex got to work. He placed his hand on the laptop. Blue lines circumvented the laptop. Rex closed his eyes in concentration. In his mind's eye, he could see the millions of lines that the information traveled on in the internet. He followed the one where the picture was coming from. He could make out a bright glowing block that looked like a screen. A figure loomed in the middle. Rex sped up to see if he could make out any features. Just as he was about to make out some details, he was stopped by an electric shock. In the room, Rex yelped and fell backwards.

"Rex? Are you okay?" Six asked bending down.

"Ack! I got shocked!" Rex shook himself. "It hurt." He got up and tried again. But he was thrown backwards this time as well. He shook his head. "A dónde fueron las estrellas?" He asked in a daze before stumbling up. He unsteadily moved to the laptop, when Six stopped him. Rex looked at him in surprise.

"No, Rex. It's too dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt again." Six said. "We'll have Whiz try."

"I can do it Six." Rex said slightly slurring his sentence. "Just let me at it."

"Enough, Rex. I'll go get Whiz." Six gently but firmly pushed Rex into a seat before leaving the room. Rex glared at the laptop and the picture. Getting an idea, he pulled out his cellphone and snapped a picture of the picture. He then sent it to Circe with a quick message.

 _Find out what this is all about._

He sent it.

0o0

Holiday and Circe had come back to Providence pretty late. Circe could tell she was quite shaken up, but Circe wasn't sure how to broach the subject. When she tried in the plane, the doctor cut her off. She tried again when they landed but without saying much except a perfunctory good night, Holiday disappeared. Circe went to her room frustrated. The next morning she woke early to check her messages. There was nothing from Rex. Feeling uneasy, she quickly got ready. But as she was about to leave her room, she wondered what her next move would be. She was sure Holiday would not talk to her. She was less sure as to how to talk to Beverly without giving away that she was in contact with Rex who was with Six. She walked a fine line. Knowing that staying in her room all day was not going to help anyone, she took a deep breath and walked to the cafeteria. She quickly spotted Beverly sitting with Caesar. Grabbing a tray with cereal, she went to joined them. They were talking softly but stopped when she approached them.

"Hey, what's up?" Circe hoped she didn't sound artificial.

"Oh, we're just talking about what project we're working on today." Beverly told her.

"Yeah? What are you doing?" Circe asked off-handedly.

"Torsional warp dish." "Robot." Caesar and Beverly said simultaneously. Alarmed they looked a each other and reversed their answers.

Circe raised an eyebrow.

"Beverly means we are working on a torsional warp dish for a robot." Caesar clarified.

"Uh-huh." Circe said skeptically.

"In fact, we better get started before the gravitational axis changes the ionic pressure of the atmosphere." He grabbed Beverly's arm. Beverly gave her friend an apologetic smile before they disappeared.

Circe was left staring after them. What was going on? She put a spoonful of soggy cornflakes into her mouth. She pushed her tray back. First something happens with Dr. Holiday and David, now Beverly and Caesar was acting strange. She glanced at her phone. Still nothing. She shoved it back in her pocket. Well, maybe she could try talking to Dr. Holiday.

Getting up, she went to her lab. It was locked. Circe frowned. Holiday should be in already. She went to check on her. Knocking on her door, there was no answer. Circe tried again. Still no answer. Looking around, Circe pulled a card from her belt. Rex might have his technopathy but she had her ways of getting through locked doors. Slipping it into the slot the door slid opened. She walked in. The light in the bathroom was on. She heard gagging. Right away, Circe ran to the bathroom. Holiday was sitting on the floor in front of the toilet.

"Dr. Holiday? Are you all right?" She asked with concern.

Rebecca flushed the toilet before grabbing a towel from the rack. Wiping her face, she took a couple of deep breathes before answering. "I'm okay. I guess something I ate last night didn't agree with me." She tried to pass it off.

"Maybe you should get yourself checked out." Circe suggested unconvinced.

"No, no. I'll just take it easy today." Circe noted how pale she looked.

"Can I get you some water? Medicine?" Circe asked.

"Water would be great." Holiday tried to get up. Circe helped her, making sure she was safely in bed before going to get some water.

Circe spent the rest of the day taking care of Holiday. She was in and out of the bathroom so much that Circe was worried she'd become dehydrated. Beverly came by when she heard that her sister wasn't feeling well. Circe took a break in the afternoon. Tiredly she went to her room. Lying down, she wondered what could be wrong with Dr. Holiday. Her pocket buzzed unexpectedly that she jumped. Sheepishly, she pulled out her phone. She was turning into Rex. Speaking of him, she saw who the message was from. Opening it, she gasped.

"So that's what happened!" She exclaimed.

 **A dónde fueron las estrellas?= Where did the stars go?**

 **Keep checking back for updates. I'm trying to finish this soon.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So this chapter is the reason why I hid this story. It's not graphic but it touches on certain themes that I'm not comfortable with my kids reading. So read with caution.**

 **I do not own.**

Holiday splashed cold water on her face again. She lost count of how many times she'd been in the bathroom. Stumbling back into her bed, she laid down. She had told Circe and Beverly that it was food poisoning but she knew it couldn't be. She hadn't eaten anything the night before. She had a slight inkling of what it might be but she was afraid to entertain the thought. At first she told herself that it was the stress of the situation that made her miss her time. But her body was very regular even in times of stress. Pushing herself up, she stopped when a wave of nausea hit her. Taking some deep breaths she waited for it to pass. When she felt better, she went to the bathroom. Opening the drawer on her side of the vanity, she pulled out a box. Ten minutes later her worst fear was confirmed. She wrapped it in tissue before depositing it in the trash can. She crawled back to bed before curling in the fetal position. What was she going to do? She was pregnant.

0o0

Whiz had about as much luck as Rex at finding who sent the message. The most he was able to do was identify the server that routed the message to them.

"How did they find us?" Rex asked.

"Good question." Whiz said tiredly. They had been up for hours. "But I'm guessing they've been monitoring people trying to hack into the Network's system. I don't think they knew for sure."

"So I gave us away?" Six asked bitterly.

"Not necessarily. He may have found our computer but not where we're located. I've been routing us through several different servers." Whiz said.

Five sat quietly in the corner with her legs drawn to her chest observing the group.

"So how are you going to locate the Network if you can't locate them through the computer?" She finally spoke.

Whiz looked at her. "I'm hacking into their last known location and trying to trace where they went. But every time I get in, I find another dead end. They aren't even leaving me enough of a fingerprint for me to work with."

"Keep trying." Six said. "If they can find us, we can find them."

"You obviously don't know how this works." Whiz muttered under his breath. Six realized that it was now extremely late and that they were not at their best. Despite his desire to pursue the trail, if Whiz is too tired to work he could miss something vital.

"Whiz, take a few hours to rest." Six said. "They'll still be here tomorrow."

Whiz looked at him in surprise. "Really?" Then before Six could change his mind, he walked out of the room.

Rex looked at Six with concern.

"Get some rest too, Rex." Six said to him.

"You… You going to be all right?" Rex asked.

"Don't worry about me. Good night." Six said.

Rex got up uncertainly before leaving as well. It was just him and Five.

"You don't have to lie to me, luv." She cocked her head. "This is eating you up."

"It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Six said giving her a hint that she should go too.

Five hopped off her perch and sauntered over to him. When she was inches from him, she said in a soft tone. "You've been tense since we started this."

"We have a bounty on our heads." Six said stiffly.

Five scoffed. "We always have a mark on us. You get use to it and move on. You need to lighten up or you can get us killed."

Six knew she was right. He had been wound up tight and unless he relaxed he could potentially make mistakes like answering the question. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Five's hot breath on his neck.

"You know, Six. I can… help you relax for old time sake." She purred.

Six stiffened. He knew what she meant. Back when they were still a couple, they would copulate before a mission to relieve the stress. She was offering it to him now.

"I'm married." He said in a hoarse voice.

"Doesn't look like you will be for long." He could feel her hand move up between his legs. "She won't know… not that it looks like it matters."

The thought that Rebecca could move on so quickly hurt him deeply. He knew that Five thought that by giving him sex, he could forget and move on too. And part of him wanted to. He could feel himself getting hard especially when her hand began stroking him. Her other hand started moving across his chest slowly working his buttons loose. But his relationship with Rebecca was more than just physical. He connected with her like no one else… even Five. He was able to talk to her about anything. She did not acquiesce to all his wishes,nor he hers. They were able to come to compromises, work things out, and still come out respecting each other. They were changing each other, helping each other grow as a person. He wouldn't give all that up for a quick release. Grabbing her wrists gently but firmly he held them in front of him.

"I appreciate the offer." He said flatly. "But I have other obligations." He gave her hands a chaste kiss before letting them go. He turned around and left the room.

Five stood in the room stunned for a moment. This was definitely not the Six she knew in the past. That Six was never the gentleman. She glanced at the laptop that held the offending picture.

"Ooph, he's got it bad for her." She mused to herself. A small smirk came to her face. "Looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks."


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own.**

Six calmly locked the door to the bathroom. Pulling off his shades he tossed them into the sink. He turned the shower on and moved the handle to cold. After neatly hanging his suit on the towel rack he stepped into the freezing mist. There wasn't much water pressure to speak of but the cold managed to stop whatever passions he had building. It was still painful. When he felt more in control of himself, he allowed his thoughts to wander. It would have been easy to be angry at Rebecca for the betrayal. Then again did she betray him or was it the other way around? He reacted instead of giving her the opportunity to walk through this trial with him. She was smarter than him. Perhaps they could have come up with a solution together. Too late now. He would have to live with the mess he made with his life. But he wasn't going to add sleeping with his ex to the list of mistakes he's made. Turning off the water, he dried off and put his suit back on. He wouldn't mind a change of outfit but his clothes were in the jump jet hidden in an abandoned airfield outside Monte Carlo. Replacing the shades on his face after polishing them, he took a deep breath and stepped outside. Thankfully it seemed that everyone was asleep. Stepping back into the workroom he pushed a chair against the wall. Slumping into it, he instantly fell asleep.

0o0

Circe studied the picture Rex had sent. To her it seemed that Holiday was not expecting or enjoying the kiss. She could tell by the body language. It was time to get to the bottom of things. Walking to Dr. Holiday's room, she knocked tentatively. When there was no answer she knocked again. She was going to break in again when she heard, Holiday's voice. "Come in."

The door slid open. Circe walked in. "Are you all right?" She asked when she saw Holiday curled up on the bed.

Holiday gave a weak smile. "I'll be okay." She pushed herself into a sitting position. "Can I help you?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Circe said sitting down next to her. "I was thinking about the other day… did something happen with Mr. Feines?"

Holiday's face fell a little. "It's obvious isn't it?"

"Just a little." Circe held her thumb and index finger up.

Holiday sighed. "I guess it was my fault. I shouldn't have told him what Six did but I was feeling… Anyway, I should have realized he still had feelings for me. He kissed me but I slapped him."

"You did?" Circe's eyes went wide.

"I shouldn't have. I mean it caught me by surprised." Holiday was agitated twisting the blanket in her hands.

"So is he still going to help us find Six?" Circe asked.

"What? Oh yes, of course. He's always the gentleman." Holiday said absent-mindedly.

"Well, not this time." Circe observed.

"Hmmm, oh, well, I guess the stress…" Holiday didn't know how to defend his actions. However, she was saved anymore explanations when her phone rang. She reached over to her phone on her night table. "It's David." She said with surprise. "Hello? That was fast." Then she went silent as she listened. Circe could see the color wash out of her already pale face. "Okay, thank you. No, no, I think I will handle this on my own. I appreciate your help." She hung up the phone and stared into space.

"What happened?" Circe gently prompted her.

"He found out that Six went back to his old mercenary group and was last seen in the company of a lady with pink hair in Monte Carlo." Holiday said mechanically.

"Did he say anything about seeing anyone else with them?" Circe asked.

"Hmm, what? No, nothing else. I think we need to go to Monte Carlo." Holiday pushed herself off the bed.

"I'm coming with you." Circe insisted getting up to help her.

"Thank you, Circe. I appreciate it." She went into the bathroom.

"I'll wait for you in the hanger in 30 minutes?" Circe asked through the closed door.

"Yes, thank you." Holiday's muffled voice came from the other side.

Circe quickly left. Bells were going off in her head. There was no way around it. She had to talk to Beverly. Promise or no promise things were not adding up. She went to Caesar's workshop.

"Beverly! I need to talk to you." Circe said as she walked in without knocking. A robotic arm grabbed her and flung her against the wall. There it held her as she struggled to catch her breath after having it knocked out of her. "What… what's going on?" Her eyes grew big as a large futuristic gun was aimed in her face. "Caesar?" She gasped as she recognized the face holding the weapon. Then another grim face appeared along side him. "Beverly? What?"

"We'll be asking the questions here." Beverly said coldly. Caesar cocked the gun.

 **What is going on?**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own.**

"Guys, if this is a joke, I'm not laughing." Circe said staring down the barrel of the gun.

"How do we know you're the real Circe?" Beverly questioned her.

"What?" Circe stared at her. "Of course I'm the real… who else would I be?"

"That's what we're here to find out." Caesar said calmly. Then he pulled the trigger. Circe closed her eyes. A strange odor assaulted her senses. "Awww, ack!" She gagged. "What did you do? Gather up all of Rex's socks and Bobo's diapers?" She coughed. "Yuck! I can taste it in my mouth."

"Caesar, it is Circe!" Beverly gasped. She quickly released her. Circe fell to the floor. Beverly grabbed her arm to help her up. She batted her away.

"Have you gone crazy? What the hell was that all about?" She yelled.

"I'm sorry. But we had to be sure you are you." Caesar shrugged.

"Okay someone better start explaining or I'm blowing up every piece of equipment here." Circe growled.

Beverly began. "Remember Chad or should I say Scarecrow?"

"That shape shifting EVO from the prom…" Circe suddenly understood. "He did impersonate me once when Black Knight was in charge… You thought I was him… I mean he was me… oh, you know what I mean."

Beverly nodded. "We've been trying to track him down ever since… that night." She shivered. "He's dangerous and well, frankly, I don't feel safe with him out there." Caesar wrapped a protective arm around her.

"He leaves a distinctive nanite signature every time he transforms. Recently, I made a detector that can identify it. I also made a nanite mist to counteract his transformations." Caesar explained.

"Couldn't you make it not smell like rotting meat?" Circe coughed again.

"Science isn't all sunshine and roses." Caesar commented.

"Anyway, Caesar's detector recently went crazy. We've been trying to figure out who's Scarecrow ever since." Beverly explained.

"So you've been smell bombing random people?" Circe asked.

"No, but the detector said that you had that unique signature… I mean Becca did too, but she was able to answer questions that no one else in the world would know about so I knew she was her." Beverly rambled.

"Wait… wait… wait. Slow down. Did you say that Caesar's crazy machine detected Scarecrow residue on us?" Circe asked.

"It's more of a device… not a machine." Caesar interjected.

"No one cares!" Circe snapped at him. She turned to her friend. "Beverly, did this device pick up residue after we got back last night?"

"It's not a residue. It's more of particle waves." Caesar interrupted.

"Shut up." Circe told him.

"Actually, now that I think of it…yes." Beverly closed her eyes.

Circe rubbed her face. "Mr. Feines is Scarecrow. It explains a lot. He didn't look happy to see me but he didn't react to me like he ever interacted with me."

"Wait, you saw David?" Beverly frowned. "Why didn't Becca tell me?"

"Well, you were pretty angry at Six…" Circe told her.

"Of course I'm mad at Six! But point taken. Becca loves that jerk." She growled.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge him." Caesar noted.

Beverly looked at him in surprise. "But he left her!"

"Agent Six cares very much for your sister." Caesar shrugged. "If you look at his actions through those lens, then the conclusion is something has happened that made him feel it was necessary to do what he did."

"So you're saying what he did was okay?" Beverly asked incredulously.

Caesar shook his head. "I'm just saying we shouldn't judge him until we know all the details."

"I think that's a good idea." Circe added.

Beverly looked from one to the other in consternation. "Well, I think what he did sucks."

"Beverly, I don't know about Caesar but sometimes I made decisions that weren't great but I thought I was doing the right thing. Maybe that's what Six did." Circe put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Beverly looked down still not convinced.

"Anyway, back to the other problem at hand. Dr. Holiday asked Mr. Feines to help her locate Six. He just called and told us he's in Monte Carlo." Circe said.

"David must be Scarecrow." Caesar concluded. "It's too much of a coincidence that both you would come back with his signature."

"You can't let Becca go! It could be a trap." Beverly said to Circe alarmed.

"I don't know." Caesar interjected. "This might be a good opportunity to see how this is all connected."

"You're right. Too many things are lining up to be a fluke." Circe nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be there to watch her back." She had a sudden thought. "Hey, Walter, Cricket, and Tuck dealt with him before. Maybe we can bring them in to help us."

"That's a good idea." Caesar agreed. "I'll talk to them right away."

"Wait, we need to tell Becca what's going on." Beverly said.

"I don't think we should, yet." Caesar shook his head.

"What? Why?" Beverly was aghast.

"Because we don't want to tip our hand." Caesar replied. "I'm sure whatever's going on they have a close eye on her. Any deviation from her usual behavior could be detrimental."

"It does seem like someone is messing with them." Beverly mused, her detective side kicking in. "But you better keep an eye on her." She turned fiercely to Circe.

"I promise; I'll watch her like a hawk." Circe crossed her heart. "Oh, speaking of which, I need to go meet her at the hanger."

"Okay, I'll text you our progress and you keep us abreast of what's happening on your end." Caesar stated.

"Got it." Circe gave Beverly a reassuring squeeze on the arm.

"Good luck." Beverly told her.

"You too." Circe replied before leaving.

0o0

When Circe reached the hanger, Dr. Holiday still wasn't there. She was about to go look for her when she walked in. Her face was pale but determined. But when she got to Circe, she stopped.

"Oh darn! I left my toiletry kit in the bathroom." She smacked her forehead with her hand.

"I'll get it for you." Circe said starting to go.

"Wait, you'll need my key." Holiday handed the girl her key card.

"Oh right." Circe didn't bother explaining that she had a way to break into the room. "Thanks." She was in the bathroom in minutes. As she picked up the bag, she accidently knocked a bottle into the trash.

Circe cursed and quickly pulled the bottle out. But as she was pulling it out, it got caught on some tissue that unraveled. Something fell out that caught Circe's eye. She gasped. It was a pregnancy test and it showed positive.

0o0

Rex, who usually was a heavy sleeper, awoke to some noise from outside the door. Laying completely still, he listened to the sounds of heavy boots in the hall. The light from the hallway leaked through the sides of the door. From under the door he saw several shadows pass. He got up and carefully went to the eyehole and peeked outside.

He quickly ran and knocked on the doors.

"Guys, guys!" He said in a loud whisper. "We gotta get out of here, now! It's the people from the shop!"

Six and Five were up in an instant. Whiz took longer to rouse.

"Grab what we need! Five, I know you have an escape route." Six said.

Five smirked. "Why do you think I wanted the top floor?" She pointed up.

It was the first time Rex noticed a sky light.

Just as Rex pulled everyone out of the apartment, there was an explosion.

Rex formed his Boogie Pack. He grabbed Whiz while Six and Five hung onto each wing. He flew off the roof just as some men came through the sky light. Rex could hear shouting and some gun fire but they were too far away already.

"Where to now?" Rex asked.

"Get to the jump jet. We need to contact the others." Six said curtly.

Rex nodded as he made a u-turn back to the airfield.

 **So much for finishing this by July. I'm working as fast as I can. Keep checking back for updates. Thank you guest and nighthawk for reviewing.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own.**

"Thanks for coming at such short notice." Beverly said to the Cricket and Tuck.

"No problem." Cricket said.

"If it is Scarecrow, you'll need all the help you can get." Tuck added.

"How did you deal with Scarecrow anyway?" Beverly asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Tuck smiled.

"Ink Check." Cricket said suddenly. She lifted her hair from her neck and a tattoo suddenly showed up.

"Woah!" Beverly was awed.

"Voice activated nano-ink tattoos." Caesar said from the controls of his Research Pod. "Clever."

"It was Rex's idea." Cricket said proudly letting her hair back down.

"Which reminds me." Tuck brought out two thin sheets from the pouch on his belt. "For you."

"What is it?" Beverly asked staring at the blank sheets.

"Ink Check." Tuck said. Tatoos appeared on the sheets.

"Cool." Beverly beamed.

"Yeah. They're temporary nanite tattoos for you guys so we can keep tabs on who's who." Tuck said.

Beverly peeled off the thin clear film on top of the sheet and put it on the back of her hand. She then did the same for Caesar except she slapped it on his cheek.

"Why there?" Caesar asked with a frown.

"So I can see it." Beverly said. "Besides, you look real hot with a tattoo on your face."

"I do?" Caesar sounded intrigued.

"Okay, so what do you want us to do?" Tuck interrupted, uncomfortable where this was going.

"Well, I will go in first to confirm that it is Scarecrow." Caesar said.

"You mean we?" Beverly corrected.

"No, I want you to stay here." Caesar said firmly.

"But…" Beverly protested.

"If it is Scarecrow I don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't take that." Caesar's eyes met Beverly briefly.

Beverly's expression softened. "Hey, I should be there too. I'll be careful and you'll be there. What can happen?"

"I'd rather not guess." Caesar stated.

"Whatever you have planned, you better figure it out now. We're approaching the launch pad." Tuck pointed out.

"Please identify yourself." A voice boomed in the cockpit.

Caesar gritted his teeth. "This is Providence vehicle alpha zero niner. Request permission to land."

There was a tense pause while they waited.

"Providence do you have an appointment?" The voice replied.

"Uh, no but we're friends of Mr. Feines. Tell him we have news about Dr. Holiday." Caesar said.

More tense waiting followed.

Finally, the voice came back with instructions. "Please dock your vehicle in section 13A."

Caesar sighed with relief as he followed directions. When he landed he turned to the group.

"I will go in first. If the target is confirmed I will give the signal and you will come in after me. Neutralize the target and we'll bring him in for questioning."

"Wow, Caesar, you sound like you know what you're doing." Cricket said impressed.

"I'm making it up as I go along." Caesar replied walking out.

After he was gone, Beverly waited all of three minutes before she started walking out.

"Where are you going?" Cricket asked alarmed.

"You can wait here if you want, but I'm going to check things out." Beverly huffed.

Cricket and Tuck looked at each other before following her out.

0o0

"Hello? Circe? Got any news?" Rex whispered into his phone. The adults were talking in low tones by the jump jet. Rex had brought them to the abandoned airfield as per Six's instructions. He took the opportunity while they were distracted with making plans to check in with Circe. His eyes got wider and mouth dropped lower as he listened to her rapid fire update.

"And to top it off, she's pregnant."

"Quewa?" Rex gasped. He quickly looked around to make sure he wasn't heard. "So where are you now?"

"I have to get back to Dr. Holiday before she gets suspicious. As it is, I've been away too long." Circe sounded like she was walking.

"You can't let her come here. They're trying to kill us." Rex said.

"Well, what am I suppose to do?" Circe snapped. "Without giving anything away."

"I don't know distract her or something. Take her somewhere else." Rex urged.

"Fine. But you guys owe me." Circe grumbled.

"I'll make it up to you." Rex promised. "Next time I call it'll be with a different number."

Circe hung up.

Rex looked at his phone before blue lines ran through it. A puff of smoke rose from it and Rex dropped it on the ground before crushing it underfoot. He walked back to the group.

"So what we decide?" He asked nonchalantly.

Six glanced at him before turning back to the group. "We are going to meet the agreed rendezvous point. Whiz is going to continue looking for a way into The Network. He can use the wifi in the jump jet."

"I actually thought of something. It might just work." Whiz noted.

"Good. Let's go." Six stepped into the jump jet followed by the rest of the group.

0o0

"Sorry, it took so long. I couldn't find it." Circe lied smoothly as she handed her the bag.

"Really? I thought I left it on the bathroom counter." Holiday frowned. Before Circe could answer, Holiday shook her head. "Never mind, let's go. We're wasted enough time."

"Um, Dr. Holiday, you don't look well. Why don't you rest and I'll fly the plane." Circe said peering into her face.

"Oh, is it that obvious? Well, maybe for a little while. Thank you." Holiday said weakly walking into the jet.

Circe strapped herself in the pilot's seat while Holiday took the back seat. She didn't look well. Circe felt guilty for lying to her. She flipped several switches and checked her instruments. She didn't set a course. Her plan was to fly around in circles until they run out of fuel. Then they would go back to base. Holiday was sure to be mad but she can feign stupidity. The jet took off. Circe flew in the direction of Monaco with Holiday monitoring her progress. Circe was hoping the flight would quickly lull Holiday to sleep so she could turn back. As fate would have it, it took her longer than Circe thought to nod off. They were more than three fourths of the way there before Holiday was finally asleep. After making sure Holiday was really out, she made a u-turn back to base. Just when she thought her plan was working, the plane lurched. Startled, Holiday woke up.

"What's going on?" She unstrapped and walked to the front. The plane lurched again and Holiday stumbled. Circe grabbed her hand before she fell.

"Doc. Go back to your seat. I'll take care of this." Circe ordered. Holiday staggered back to her seat and strapped back in. Circe turned on her monitor. There was a black plane above them. It shot at them. "I'm radioing for help." Circe told Holiday. Turning on her radio she only got static. "Crap! The radio's jammed."

"My communicator isn't working either." Holiday added.

"I guess, we'll have to do it the hard way." Circe groused. She pulled the plane up. Rolling up behind the plane, Circe shot at the plane. She got a direct hit. "Take that." She said triumphantly. But she spoke too soon when the plane lurched again. Circe checked the monitor again. A line of planes blocked her way back to Providence. They opened fire. Circe frowned. "Unless they are all terrible shots, they're not trying to hit us." She muttered under her breath. It then dawned on her. "They want us to go to Monte Carlo." She said.

"What?" Holiday asked from the back.

"Um, I said let's go to Monte Carlo." She turned the plane back on course. If they wanted them to go to Monte Carlo something important must be there, most definitely a trap but it means answers must be there too. Despite her promise to Rex, she decided that Monte Carlo was where they had to go. "Hang on, Doc." She told Holiday as the plane swerved.

 **Thank you for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own.**

Five was curled up in the back seat asleep. Whiz was in the back hunched over the computer screen oblivious of everything else around him.

Rex sat next to Six in the cockpit.

"You okay?" Rex broke the silence.

"Yes." Six replied.

More awkward silence ensued.

"I mean it can't be easy… you know, being a target, working with your old group, leaving everyone else behind…" Rex ventured again.

Six sighed. "Something on your mind, Rex?"

Rex hesitated for a second before deciding to go for it. "It's not fair for you to leave Doc without telling her… or me for that matter. I mean Holiday is smart. She can handle stuff. She knows about your past. And I could have helped you. I mean look, I can talk to machines. Maybe I could have been able to figure out… I don't know… things." Rex stopped. Six said nothing for a long time. Rex was worried he had offended him. He was about to apologize when Six finally spoke.

"You're right."

Rex blinked. He wasn't expecting that. He waited for Six to say more. When he remained quiet, Rex got frustrated. "That's it? Just _You're right_?"

"What do you want me to say, Rex?" Six asked in a tight voice. "I'm not good at these things. I know Holiday is angry with me and that I've probably irrevocably damaged my relationship with her. I didn't want any of you involved in my old life. It… was not an ideal time in my life. I would rather keep the past in the past."

"But our past shapes our future… for better or worse. And you… despite everything messed up that happened to you, you're… and if anyone asks I'll deny I said it… like the most awesome guy I've ever met." Rex said.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I wish I could say that I find comfort in that. I don't."

"Well, it's true. You found me and took me in, defended me from White. You put up with Bobo because I needed a friend. You save Doc's sister. You've saved… all of us. You give selflessly. You're just a great person." Rex listed on his fingers.

"All I see is a man with blood on his hands, innocent and otherwise. I see someone who's betrayed trusts and friendship. I see someone who is damaged goods." Six countered.

Rex snorted. "But that's everyone… well, maybe the blood thing is a little more literal for you. Nobody's perfect Six. We don't expect you to be. But maybe you can have a little more faith in us… Because we have faith in you."

Six glanced at Rex before turning back to flying the plane.

"Thank you." He said simply.

"You're welcome." Rex replied. A second later he blurted out. "And you'd make a great dad."

Six's head snapped over to him. "What?"

"Nothing." Rex quickly said.

The plane went silent again until Rex's stomach growled.

"Um, Six? Do you think we can stop somewhere for breakfast? I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon."

"I'm not stopping but there's some ration bars in the compartment." Six said flatly.

"Aww, come on. That stuff's disgusting." Rex gagged.

"This coming from someone who drank expired soda?" Six reminded him.

"Did Bobo tell you that? Because it wasn't that bad, it had a certain… piquant flavor to it." Rex sniffed.

Somehow Rex's incessant chatter made Six feel better.

0o0

"Where are we?" Cricket asked as they walked down another hallway.

"I'd say by the way we've already passed that portrait for the third time that… we're lost." Tuck observed dryly.

"We're not lost." Beverly said stubbornly. "We just… haven't found where we're supposed to be."

"I told you we shouldn't have made that right." Tuck muttered.

"Ai-yah, do you want to lead?" Cricket snapped. "You don't know where you're going either."

"Shhhh!" Beverly hushed them. "I hear something."

Both Tuck and Cricket fell silent. Sure enough there was a weak thump coming from the walls.

Frowning, Cricket slowly walked along the wall placing her ear against it periodically to listen. Tuck and Beverly did the same along different walls.

"Over here!" Cricket motioned for them to come. Beverly and Tuck jogged over. They put their ears against the wall. Beverly heard a faint muffled sound of someone trying to speak.

"Guys! We've got to help whoever that is." Beverly said urgently.

Everyone felt around the wall.

"I don't see anyway in." Tuck rapped against the partition. "Maybe we can go around?"

"No time." Cricket said impatiently. With a swift powerful kick, she smashed a hole in the wall.

"I'm not paying for that." Tuck noted.

When the smoke cleared, there was a man bound and gagged in a broom closet.

"Mr. Feines!" Beverly quickly went to untie him.

He groaned weakly, when he was released. "This is getting old." He said hoarsely. "I need better security."

"When it comes to Scarecrow, security isn't going to help." Cricket said darkly.

"Is that who attacked me?" David asked as Beverly and Tuck stood on either side to help him up. "I opened my office door to see… myself."

"Oh no Caesar!" Beverly let go. David almost fell to the ground dragging Tuck with him. "He's alone with that maniac."

"They must be in my office." David said. Beverly rushed down the hall. "This way!" David pointed in the opposite direction. Beverly turned and flew by them.

"I knew that." She said as she passed.

Cricket and Tuck helped David along.

0o0

"Dr. Salazar." David Feines greeted Caesar with a handshake. "I hear you wanted to talk to me.

"Yes, sir." Caesar sat down in the chair as David took his seat at his desk. "I received a text from Dr. Holiday." Caesar pulled out his detector disguised as his smart phone. A quick push of the button confirmed everything he was afraid of. "She said that she has arrived in Monte Carlo."

David raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that all she said?"

"Yup. Thought you'd like to know. Thank you for your time." Caesar got up and started to leave. Placing his hand on the doorknob a shock made him jump back. He turned to look at David who had a sneer on his face.

"I think there's more to it." He said. "Something else you want to tell me, doctor?"

"Nothing I can think of." Caesar fumbled in his pocket for his communicator. He pressed the emergency signal.

"Oh, I think there is." David's mouth stretched into an unearthly grin. His eyes glowed red. A swirl of dark smoke engulfed him until a raggedy man in a straw hood appeared.

Caesar stared at him.

"What do you think about that, Mr. Scientist?" Scarecrow hissed.

"That was… fascinating!" Caesar came to life. "Was that an entropic miasma of nanites or is it more of a series of episodic wisps of nanite repulsion? Does the transformation leave the residue or perhaps the residue is what causes the transformation?" Caesar continued his rapid fire questions.

Scarecrow looked momentarily confused before shaking his head. "I won't let your mumbo jumbo distract me. It's time for you to see what happens to those who cross John Scarecrow." He came menacingly toward Caesar.

0o0

"We've lost them." Holiday said as she looked on the radar.

 _Not really._ Circe thought in her head. _They want us to go to Monte Carlo. They're probably monitoring us._ Circe was aware that something was supposed to happen when they land and whatever it is she couldn't let it happen.

"Dr. Holiday, where were we going to land when we get there?" Circe inquired.

"I've made arrangements at the airport, why?" Holiday questioned.

"Well, I guess that's a public place." Circe mused. "They wouldn't do something there."

"What are you talking about?" Holiday asked.

Circe sighed. "I'm not sure but I think this could be a trap."

"Why would David lie?" Holiday was surprised.

"I… I don't know if that was Mr. Feines." Circe admitted. "He didn't seem to… react to me like he didn't really know who I was."

"Not David? Then who could it be?" Holiday frowned.

Circe shrugged so that she didn't give away too much. "I don't know. But didn't he seem odd to you?"

Holiday thought a moment. It was strange that he would… Her cheeks turned red as she thought about the kiss. She shook her head. "You could be right. But this is the only lead we have. We're going to have to be extra vigilant."

"My thoughts exactly." Circe nodded. "I think whatever plans you made previously after getting to the airport, we should change… in case."

"It might throw them off momentarily." Holiday mused.

"It might be all we need." Circe offered.

"Agreed. We're five minutes to landing." Holiday checked the instruments.

"You ready?" Circe asked.

"As ready as I'm going to be." Holiday gave a wan smile.

"Good." She picked up the radio. "Control tower? Permission to land."

"Permission granted."

The radio worked now, just as Circe had thought. Someone definitely wanted them to be there.

She looked at Dr. Holiday as she put her on her seatbelt. She gave the girl a nod which Circe returned.

"Let's see what you've got." Circe muttered as she went through the landing procedures.

 **Things are coming together. What is going on?**


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own.**

Beverly's communicator started beeping. It was Caesar's emergency signal. It made her run even faster. When she reached the office, she ignored the secretary's commands to stop and knocked down the office door. She gasped.

Inside was two Caesar's rolling on the ground trying to strangle each other.

"Caesar!" She exclaimed.

"What?" They both answered looking at her.

Beverly looked uncertainly at the two. They both got up.

"Which one?" She looked from one to the other.

"I'm the real Caesar." Caesar on the left said.

"No, I'm the real Caesar." The one on the right retorted.

Beverly gaped at the two.

Cricket ran next to Beverly. "Ink check!" She yelled. A tattoo appeared on the face of the Caesar on the right.

Beverly smacked her forehead. How could she have forgotten?

Tuck rushed past her and tackled the fake Caesar. They struggled. Cricket trained a gun on them. But she was not able to get a clear shot.

Caesar pulled out something that looked like a magician's wand from inside his vest. He pulled the band on it and a full sized net shot out covering the two. Then a blue electric shot ran through the netting. Both combatants yelled out before falling unconscious.

"Tuck!" Cricket yelled. Grabbing Caesar by the lapel, she shook him. "Why'd you do that?" She demanded.

"It wasn't lethal. But we couldn't take a chance in letting Scarecrow get away again." Caesar explained calmly.

"Not cool." Cricket said angrily letting him go. She gingerly pulled the net apart slightly to get Tuck out. She then pulled the net tight around Scarecrow. "Tuck?" She lightly tapped his face. "Tuck? You okay?"

Tuck groaned. Opening his eyes, his gaze landed on Caesar. "Ugh, not cool."

"That's what I said." Cricket told him.

"Yeah, with friends like you, who needs enemies?" Tuck struggled to get up. Cricket lent him a hand.

Beverly shook her head. "Caesar, we need to talk about your people skills."

"He's incapacitated, isn't he?" Caesar asked.

"Maybe not at the expense of other people." Beverly said.

David came to the door. "Security!" Several guards rushed in. "Take him down to the holding room."

"Wait! We need to talk to him." Beverly said.

"Why do you think he's going to the holding room?" David asked. "We are all going to be _asking_ him questions. Frankly, I want to know what the hell just happened."

0o0

"I'm in!" Whiz yelled triumphantly.

Five snapped awake. Six turned on the autopilot before getting up. Rex also got up. They crowded around Whiz who was beaming. "It took a while but I found a backdoor into their systems using a clever trojan…"

"Blah, blah, blah, mate." Five interrupted. "You can congratulate yourself later. What's the story?"

"Well," Whiz sounded offended. "First it seems that they don't move around like they say they do."

"What do you mean?" Rex asked confused.

"Rumor has it that The Network never stays in the same place and that they rotate their base of operations." Six explained.

"That doesn't sound efficient." Rex snorted.

"It isn't and they don't. It's just a rumor." Whiz nodded forgetting to be upset. "According to this they stay in the same place…"

"Where?" Six asked.

"The Forbidden City." Whiz answered.

"Wow, great name for the hiding place of a crazy underground group." Rex remarked. "Um, where is the Forbidden City?"

"Beijing, China." Six said as he walked back to the cockpit.

"Oh." Rex said. Then after thinking for a moment asked, "Can we pick up some spring rolls while we're there?"

0o0

Holiday and Circe landed as planned. They left the jet in the hanger and went to the ladies room. Once there they made sure there was no one in there. Getting into some stealth suits, they looked at each other. Nodding they pulled up their mask, instantly disappearing. They exited the restroom. Walking along the wall to avoid direct light, they made their way out of the airport. A few hours later they arrived at a run down motel. Holiday walked in casually and paid for a room with cash. The lady gave her a key. Holiday went outside where Circe was waiting for her. They walked to their room which was on the outside of the hotel facing the pool. Once inside Circe fell onto the bed. A cloud of dust arose.

"Ewww," Circe wrinkled her nose while waving the dust away.

"Sorry, it's a little… rustic." Holiday smiled wanly. "It's the best I could do at such short notice."

"It's okay." Circe coughed. "I'll live."

"I need to use the bathroom. Do you want to go first? I might be awhile." Holiday looked a little green.

"No, it's okay. You go ahead." Circe said.

Holiday gave her a weak smile before going into the bathroom.

Circe listened to the water run knowing that she was using the faucet to hide her morning sickness.

Circe waited a moment before pulling out her phone. She quickly texted Rex to let him know what happened. She waited. Rex quickly got back to her detailing what was going on there. Circe frowned.

They knew that they were probably being monitored so they grabbed whatever would fit in their pockets donned on the stealth suits to try to throw off whoever was watching them. So far it looked like it worked. They escaped the airport relatively unnoticed and walked several blocks before walking into a shopping complex and taking off the stealth suits. Shoving them into some plastic bags they hailed a cab and went to the motel he had suggested. Whoever had wanted them to come, must by now realize that they had been duped. They disappeared from the airport and had not gone to the hotel they had booked. Rex texted that she should get Holiday out as soon as possible. The people they were dealing with were not playing as evidence to their attacks on Six and company. The faucet turned off and Circe quickly hid her phone. Holiday walked out.

Circe gaped. Holiday's hair was no longer jet black. She now sported a blond bob.

"Wig." Holiday smiled at her confusion.

"That's a great idea, Doc." Circe approved.

"Here, tuck your hair in this." She threw the girl a handkerchief.

When Circe looked at her questioningly, she explained.

"We're going out to see what we can find out but we're going to have to disguise ourselves. They're looking for a black hair, green eyed woman and a bi-colored hair young lady."

Circe's hair had disappeared into the handkerchief save her bangs.

"What are we looking for?" She asked the older woman.

Holiday sighed. "Well, if Six was here, then I'm sure there has to have been some disturbance. Let's see if there's anything in the newspapers. And as an aside, we should figure out a way to get out of here without tipping our _hosts_ to where we are."

Circe nodded. They readied themselves before heading out. Circe nervously checked the corridor. There were a few kids in the pool but they were splashing each other and playing. It was a good distraction as they left the motel. As they hailed a cab to take them into the city center, a man on a motorbike, face hidden behind his helmet, revved his bike and followed the cab.

 **Holiday thought she was being clever. So who it the man following them? Stay tuned. Thank you for the reviews guest and nighthawk.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm on vacation. I wrote this on the plane on my phone and am editing it on my son's laptop. The things I go through for you.**

 **I do not own**

"Dr. Holiday, look at this!" Circe exclaimed, excitedly waving a paper at the older woman.

Holiday took the paper from her hands and quickly perused it. Looking at the girl with wide eyes, she said, "A lady with pink hair drove through a cafe... literally."

"If we're looking for something weird, I think this would quality, don't you?" Circe said.

"Yes, that's something perfectly normal in Six's world." Holiday said thoughtfully. "I think I know that woman."

"Really?" Circe gave her an incredulous look.

"Yes, an old associate of Six's." She began walking away in thought.

"We going to the scene of the crime?" Circe asked jogging to catch up.

"You bet." Holiday replied

Locating the cafe required maneuvering through some narrow winding streets but they finally found it. The caution tape and broken front also help identify it.

"Wow, she drove a car through solid brick? That's hard core." Circe said awed.

"Yes," Holiday said absentmindedly trying to see inside. "Six does keep interesting company."

"Please mademoiselles, step away from the area. Police are still investigating." A man in uniform said sternly.

"Oh sorry," Holiday affected a soft midwestern accent. "It's just so fascinating doncha know. We never have something happen like this in Minnesota."

"Well, it doesn't usually happen here in Monte Carlo either. This is quite the anomaly." He assured the ladies. "Now move along."

Holiday and Circe had no choice but to walk to the end of the block. Once they rounded the corner, Holiday pulled Circe aside.

"Minnesota?" Circe crinkled her brow.

"My grandparents were from the midwest. Good solid farm folk but people tend to write them off as simple, harmless. I think I saw another way in."

"You did?" Circe was surprised. "How?"

A minute later Circe and Holiday are on the roof of the cafe.

"I thought I saw a sky light." Holiday said, pointing at the glass clad hole on the roof. "The ambient light had to come from somewhere." She smirked.

Circe returned it. Bending down she checked it out. "It's not sealed but locked from the inside."

"Can you get it open? Quietly?" Holiday questioned.

Circe opened her mouth. Dogs began howling. The latch began vibrating. To Holiday's surprise, the latch fell away. When Circe stopped so did the howling.

"I've been practicing high frequency vibrations." Circe explained.

"Good girl." Holiday dropped down to the floor. Turning on the flashlight on her smartphone, she check out the destroyed interior. She heard Circe land softly behind her.

"Circe, look." Holiday shone her light on the floor. "These are Six's footprints."

"Are you sure?" Circe was dubious.

"Six's shoes are custom made. The man who makes it carves a distinct mark on the sole. There can't be more than 10 of these shoes in the world." Holiday pointed at the symbol.

"So Six was here! David didn't lie." Circe observed.

"Yes, which begs the question why do they want us here? Was I supposed to see something or..." Holiday started saying.

"You are being used to hurt him." A voice said. Holiday and Circe spun around as the man in uniform from outside stepped out of the shadows. He held a gun. Circe stepped in front of Holiday in a defensive stance.

"Get out of the way little girl." He growled.

"Make me." She challenged.

"I thought you'd never ask." He fired.

0o0

"Learn anything?" Beverly asked as David walked back into the room.

"No," he said darkly. "He refuses to tell us who his employer is."

"Now what?" Beverly wondered.

"Let us have a crack at him." Tuck suggested.

"Yeah, we can get him to talk." Cricket agreed.

"Well according to the second Geneva convention coercion of any kind is considered a crime.

"It's not so much coercion as it is convincing." Tuck hedged.

"We've dealt with him before. He thinks he's ask good at head games but two can play at that." Cricket added.

"I have no problems with that." Caesar shrugged.

"You won't hurt him right?" Beverly asked worriedly.

"But he tried to kill you." Tuck said incredulously.

"That doesn't mean I want him... injured." Beverly insisted.

"He won't be hurt." Cricket promised.

"I guess we don't have much choice." David ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, see what you can find out."

"Gladly," Tuck said. "Come on Cricket."

0o0

Six, Five, and Rex walked into a Chinese restaurant. Six said something to the lady at the front desk. She quickly went off before returning asking them to follow her.

"What is this place?" Rex looked around the restaurant. "And do they have moo shu pork?"

Six ignored him as their hostess lead them to a back room. Inside Dos, Trey, and IV were already seated.

"Late as always." Dos sniffed contemptuously.

Six took a seat wordlessly. Five merely flicked her hair at him.

"Hey, where do I sit?" Rex looked around.

Dos eyed him scornfully. He pointed a single table with a single chair in the corner of the room.

"Aww, the kid's table? Come on. I'm a big boy now." Rex said sardonically.

"Rex." Six said gently.

"Fine, but I better get fortune cookies." Rex pouted as he slumped over in the seat.

"Where's your contact?" IV asked.

"We dropped him off before we got here." Six answered curtly. "He's not involved with this part."

"Why didn't you drop the brat along with him?" IV nodded his head in Rex's direction.

"I'm right here. I can hear you." Rex called out. He was about to say more but caught Six's eye. He pressed his lips together and turned back to staring at the table cloth.

"So you found out where The Network is hiding?" Dos asked getting to the point.

"Yes, it's right here." Six stated.

"In this here restaurant?" Trey asked.

"No you nit!" Five snapped. "In the Forbidden City."

"Interesting." Dos said. "And how do you propose we take them out?"

"I say we do it hard and fast." Trey smiled.

"Do you even know where they are you nit? They won't be in plain site." Five said angrily.

"No, they won't but the Forbidden City isn't that large either. We will go in as tourists and do reconnaissance." Six said. "That way we know what we are going against."

"It not going to be easy." Trey leaned back.

"Yes but we have Rex. He can talk to computers." Six noted.

"Yup!" He said from the corner of the room. His mouth shoved full of the crispy fried wonton wrappers at the table. "Can you ask then for some duck sauce?"

The Numbers ignored him.

"This is stupid." IV said. "There is no proof that they are there."

"Oh, and I suppose you have better information? I don't see either of you with any information." Five challenged him.

"Given more time..." IV said.

"Well, we don't have more time!" Five glared at him. "People around me are getting killed and I would rather not join them."

"Enough." Dos slammed the table. "We will go in tomorrow and see if there is any merit to Six's information. If they are there, we will show them what makes us The Numbers."

"Can we eat yet?" Rex asked from the corner.

"I's hungry too." Trey rubbed his stomach. "Can't got breaking bones on an empty stomach, no?"

Dos narrowed his eyes at the group. "When this is over, we go our own ways."

"Fine by me."" IV sniffed. "I never want to see you guys ever again."

"I think the sentiment is mutual." Six growled.

"Aww, I kinda like our reunions." Trey grinned.

"You would." Five sniffed. "You have no friends."

"I have friends!" Trey insisted. "I got another pig and named her Daisy too."

A waitress came in. "Excusee me, dinner is here." A bunch of waiters came in and set food on the table. When they were done, they left.

"Family style?" Rex raised an eyebrow. "Ironic don't you think?"

"Would you like some food Rex?" Six sighed.

"Boy would I!" Rex sprang from his seat. Grabbing the plate in front of Six he loaded his plate from the various dishes before going back to his table in the corner. He shoveled food into his mouth.

The Numbers started eating as well. They would need their strength for tomorrow.

 **I don't know when I'll update next. I will be away for a week but I'm trying to finish this soon. KakaAnko, I don't know if you're reading this but I have something pre-written for you for your birthday.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Again I wrote this on the plane on the way back home. I'm hoping to finish this soon.**

 **I do not own.**

Holiday wasn't sure if the high pitched scream came from her. In the chaos, she couldn't tell. But the next thing she knew, she was knocked to the ground. Slightly stunned she regained her bearings enough to see who it was shielding her.

"Walter?" She gasped. He however was not paying attention to her.

"Circe? You all right?" He yelled.

It was then she noticed Circe holding her arm. Holiday saw blood trickling from between her fingers. Shoving Walter off her she got up quickly. When she reached Circe, she saw the guard knocked out on the floor.

"I guess I need some more practice with speed." She said ruefully.

Holiday hastily examined her arm. "Just a flesh wound. The bullet just grazed you."

"No, a _piece_ of a bullet grazed me. I didn't have time to completely disintegrate it. But I got the shooter though." Circe winced as Holiday tied a make shift bandage around her wound.

"Guys, I hear people coming. Let's vamoose." Walter urged.

Holiday had forgotten that he was there. "What are you doing here?"

He grabbed both their arms. "Not now. Explain later." He rushed them out. Outside stood a scooter.

"We are getting away on that thing?" Circe asked incredulously.

"Not just any _thing_. It's a BMS Pathfinder 200 scooter." Walter said indignantly.

"Yeah. All I heard was blah, blah, blah scooter. Scooter! Why don't you get a real mode of transportation?" Circe retorted.

"Don't have the moneys!" Walter threw a helmet at Holiday. "Sorry, I only have one. Me and Circ are gonna to have to live dangerously."

More shouting could be heard. Walter got on the bike as the women scrambled to get on. Holiday was sandwiched between the two of them. Walter shot off just as they heard police whistles and cries to stop.

"Where to?" He called behind him.

"Someplace where we can talk. It looks like we were set up and as thankful as I am for your help... what the heck are you doing here?" Holiday demanded.

Walter chuckled. "Alright let me see if I can accommodate." He swerved into one of the side streets.

They rode through some winding streets before stopping in front of a quaint two story building. When Walter got off, the others did as well. Holiday pulled off her helmet.

"Where are we?" She asked.

Walter walked to a garage door that took up most of the first story façade. Bending over he inserted a key near the handle on the bottom. After the key unlocked the door, Walter lifted it to reveal a room with a bed and art supplies. He pushed his scooter into an empty spot. "Whatcha waiting for? Come in."

The ladies walked in and Walter pulled the garage door down. The room went dark until there was a clicking sound. A lone bulb lit up the room. "Welcome to my art studio!" He declared proudly.

Circe looked around. "Kinda small, isn't it?"

"Well, you try to live in the Taj Mahal on an artist's budget." Walter retorted.

"The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum." Circe countered.

"I didn't know you moved to Monte Carlo." Holiday interrupted them.

"Yeah, after I graduated from the art school, I wanted to travel a little. So I signed up for this program which let's you swap digs with an artist in another country so you can... you know... experience different cultures while creating masterpieces."

"You got a dump." Circe observed.

"It's a place to crash. I got some guy paying me good money to paint his pets. Meanwhile in my spare time I work on my next art show." Walter explained.

"How did you know we were in trouble?" Holiday tried to keep them focused. As interesting as Walter's new life was, they still needed answers.

"Oh, Cricket called me to let me know you were in town and to keep an eye on you. Apparently Scarecrow is on the loose." Walter was too busy picking up his paint brushes to notice Circe gesturing to him.

At the mention of the name Scarecrow, Holiday went pale. "Scarecrow? Is Beverly okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I think so but they told me you might not be..." He trailed off when he finally saw Circe giving frantic hand gestures to shut up.

Holiday turned to Circe and them back to Walter. "Okay, what's going on here?" She asked sternly.

Circe sighed while Walter looked confused.

"Promise you won't be angry? And don't tell Rex I told you." Circe began.

Holiday raised an eyebrow.

0o0

The next morning when the Forbidden City Palace Museum opened for business a man in a white buttoned down shirt and green pants with shades walked in. A younger man wearing a blue and white t-shirt and jeans was following him.

"That's your disguise?" The younger man hissed to the older. "You look exactly the same. You just took off the jacket and tie. You look like it's casual Friday at the office."

Rex complained. "Why couldn't we have gone shopping? I mean it wouldn't kill you to actually look like a tourist."

While Rex was jabbering, Six checked out the surroundings. Something caught his eye. He walked casually while appearing like he was interested in the exhibits. Rex was oblivious as he kept talking about what they should be wearing.

"Rex!" Six stopped so suddenly that Rex plowed into his back. "See what you can find out here." He stood in front of a statue.

Rex rubbed his nose with one hand as he reached his other hand to place on the statue. "It's an old marble statue of an ugly dog-lion thingy." He grumbled. But as soon as he touched it, he felt a spark. His eyes glowed white. In his mind's eye, he saw a whole computer network hidden in the depths of the structure. He also saw all the entrances as well as the corridors of the hidden world because of all the sophisticated electronics that ran through the whole edifice.

"Whoa." He whispered.

"Hey! You! No touch the artifacts!" A museum guard yelled coming towards them.

Six grabbed Rex by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him away. Rex's eyes returned to normal when his hand broke contact with the statue.

"I'm sorry. My son can't keep his hands to himself. I will watch him more carefully from now on." Six said as he pulled Rex away quickly.

Rex shook to clear his head. Then he realized what Six had said. "Your son?"

"What did you see?" Six ignored him.

"Well, _dad_ ," Rex smirked when Six frowned. "You're right there's a whole world below this one. I could see everything."

"Can you replicate everything you saw?" Six asked.

"Um... Maybe?" Rex said uncertainly.

"Try. We need every advantage we can get." Six said as they walked out.

0o0

"Hello Johnny." Tuck greeted the incarcerated EVO.

Scarecrow stared at him without recognition until Cricket walked into the room. Then it dawned on him who they were. "Tuck, Cricket. You certainly look different after the cure."

"Shut up Johnny." Tuck snapped. "You have some serious talking to do."

"Phfftt," he spat. "I have nothing to say to you."

"I think you do." Cricket said coldly.

Scarecrow glanced at her for a moment. "Why don't you make yourself useful and clean something?"

Slamming both hands down in front of a startled Scarecrow with her face inches from his, she stared him down. "How about I clean your clock?" She growled. "You were such a useless clown. No wonder we kicked you out of the group." She straightened up.

Scarecrow's face twisted with rage. "You didn't kick me out. I had better things to do."

"What like play pretend?" Tuck mocked. "You knew you couldn't be as good as us so you just tried to be us. But you're just a pale imitation."

"I wouldn't want to be you of my life depended on it." He replied angrily.

"Sure is that why you kept trying to sneak into our place. Dang, we had to move four or five times to get away from you. But if wasn't until Rex figured out how to outsmart you..." Cricket said.

"Rex never outsmarted me!" He cried with outrage. "That poor excuse for an EVO was just a chump."

"Who whipped your assets every time." Cricket reminded him.

"I can take him out anytime." Scarecrow insisted.

"Yet you didn't because you couldn't which proves just how useless you are." Tuck continued. "Does your employer know that? Does he know that you're really a second string who couldn't cut it in our gang? Or is your employer a has-been like you."

"I'm not a has-been and I work for someone more powerful than you think. Someone who is a major player in the mercenary world…" Scarecrow stopped. "Wait, I see what you're trying to do. Clever. Well, it won't work." He grinned evilly at them.

"Bah, you won't say because he's imaginary." Cricket sniffed.

"Oh, no you don't, insect girl... You won't get any more out of me." Scarecrow

"Really?" Cricket pulled a syringe from her belt.

"What? Truth serum? You wouldn't dare. It's a human rights violation." Scarecrow jeered.

"Oh, it's not a truth serum. It's a cure." She smirked.

"What?" Scarecrow now looked nervous.

"Yup, Dr. Salazar has been perfecting an antidote to the N-juice. It renders the drug totally ineffective... turning the user back to normal… forever." Tuck said smugly.

Scarecrow slunk back. "You… you can't do that!" He sputtered.

"Why not? There's no violation in curing someone. And you will become a nobody... Not that you ever was... You were always a cheap copy." Tuck grabbed him and pulled his arm out. "Go ahead Cricket."

"No, no!" Scarecrow screamed. "I don't know his name. He always wears a hood and his face is covered."

"I don't believe you. Come on Cricket." Tuck held down the struggling EVO.

Cricket came closer.

"I swear that's all I know! His face is covered with cloth..."

"And why are you impersonating David Feines?" Cricket asked.

"He wanted me to get Dr. Holiday to go somewhere." He strained against Tuck's grip.

"Why?" Tuck pushed him down harder.

"I don't know!"

"WHY?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Cricket made like she was going to inject him but he kept to his story. She nodded to Tuck who pushed Scarecrow roughly back in his seat.

"We'll check it out Johnny. If you're lying, say good bye to your powers." Tuck told him.

They left the room.

"Wow, you guys are scary." Beverly gulped.

"Hey, when you work for a homicidal Rock EVO boss for years, you pick up a few things." Tuck shrugged.

"I wasn't working on an antidote for N-juice." Caesar rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What's in the syringe?"

"Cherry syrup." Cricket squirted some on her tongue. "Mmm, tastes great."

David shook his head. "I'm not sure I totally approve of your methods but at least we have some answers."

"We need to get this information to Circe pronto." Cricket said.

"What we need is to get Dr. Holiday somewhere safe." David corrected. "If this mercenary wants her somewhere, it can't be for a good thing."

Beverly's face grew white. "Caesar…"

"You're right. We need to get to Monte Carlo. We're taking the Research Pod." The group followed him.

 **So I spent some of my vacation in the ER but I'm still alive. I really hope my insurance covers out of state hospital visits.**


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own.**

Sitting on Walter's bed, Holiday massaged her temple. Circe watched her nervously. She had just told Holiday that Rex was with Six who had left to try to keep her safe.

Finally she spoke. "So Six thought it would be okay to leave without telling me. Rex thought it would be okay to keep up the charade. And you agreed?" Her voice rose an octave.

Circe winced. "I'm sorry but… no offense… I don't know if you realize how bad these triads can be."

"Yeah, when we were in Quarry's gang, bad things happened to people… very bad things." Walter piped up.

Holiday turned her glare on the young man. "I don't live under a rock! I know what can happen! Ugh, I need an aspirin." She rubbed her head.

"Oh I have some." Walter dug around a drawer before throwing her a bottle.

Holiday caught it and opened it.

"Wait!" Circe cried with alarm. "Should you be taking aspirin in your condition?"

Holiday looked at her startled. "What are you…" It suddenly dawned on her. "You know?"

Circe realized her mistake. "Uh, well… you have been throwing up a lot."

Walter looked from one woman to the other. "Um… should I leave?"

"No, no…" Holiday sighed putting the aspirin back in the bottle. "It's probably all right for me to take some but I should be checked by a doctor first. You never know how it could affect the baby."

Walter choked. "B…baby?"

Holiday gave him a wry smile. "Yes, I'm pregnant."

Walter fainted.

Circe bent over him. "Oh come on you, wuss. It's not even yours!" She slapped his face a few times. "Wait till I tell Kenwyn."

That brought him to. "Don't tell Kenwyn anything!" He snapped.

Holiday's sigh brought their attention back to her. "We need to find Six."

"This changes everything." Walter said getting back up. "If the goons after agent Six knows about your… thing… they can use it against him."

"No more than just me." Holiday countered. "It changes nothing."

"Well, we need to get you out of here first." Circe noted. "They know you're here and it looks like they might want you dead."

"Or alive so they can torture you in front of agent Six." Walter added. When the girls glared at him, he shrugged. "Hey, that's what Quarry use to do."

"Maybe we can get a message to Providence." Circe suggested.

"The nearest base is in England." Holiday said.

"That's a hop, skip, and jump away." Walter said brightly.

"But it's a scientific research base only." Holiday continued. "They don't have military capabilities."

"But we only need a transport out of here." Walter protested.

"No, what she means is they don't have any secure channels. If we call, it would be a dead, giveaway… emphasis on dead." Circe said.

"Okay, how about…" Walter closed his eyes deep in thought. "How about we go in disguise and buy you a ticket back to Providence?"

"That sounds risky. What if they recognize us?" Circe questioned.

"That's why the disguises." Walter said. He pulled out a chest from under his bed. "Everyone take off your clothes."

Circe and Holiday crossed their arms and raised an eyebrow. Walter looked up when there was no response. "Please?" He added.

0o0

An hour later a woman with short blond hair and trench coat walked into the airport. She looked around before heading to a ticket counter.

"One way trip to New Mexico." She said.

"Sorry, there's no direct flight to New Mexico." The agent said. "But we can fly you to Nice, France with a two hour layover in Charlotte before transferring you to New Mexico."

"I see." She seemed to think things over. "Well, I suppose there's no other choice."

"If you'll give me your credit card, I'll take care of it for you." The agent said.

The lady rummaged through her purse. "Hmmm, I seem to have misplaced my wallet. Can you take a check?"

"No, ma'am. We can not accept checks." The agent said apologetically.

"Is there a place where I can cash some checks?" She asked.

"There's a currency exchange down there." She pointed over her shoulder.

"Thank you." The woman started walking in the direction the agent had pointed.

A few feet from the store front, she felt something funny. Glancing over her shoulder she noticed two men behind her. They were dressed in gray suits and sunglasses. She walked turned from her route and entered a clothing store. Pretending to browse the sun dresses, she kept an eye on the strangers. They had stopped at a kiosk outside the store. The woman grabbed a dress and went to a fitting room in the back. The saleslady politely pointed her to a stall. The woman went in. The men outside waited but they finally lost patient and went into the store. They roughly pushed the sales lady aside when she protested them entering the fitting room. They kicked down the doors and all the stalls only to find each were empty. At the final stall, they found short blond wig and trench coat on the floor. They immediately shouted into their communication devices and ran out of the store. Suddenly, the airport flooded with men in gray suits. Back at the clothing store, Circe dropped from the ceiling where she had been hiding between the pipes. Grabbing a discarded sundress from the floor and tucking her hair under a hat she exited the store. A quick glimpsed at a different counter confirmed that Holiday and Walter had successfully purchased tickets and were walking toward the security screening area. She smirked which quickly faded.

"Excuse me!" One of the men in a gray suit shouted at the couple. They had just successfully passed the check point. "Stop!" He yelled at them.

Holiday and Walter pretended not to hear and continued to the terminal but two security guards barred the way.

Circe thought fast. Hiding behind an art installation, she noticed it had Walter's name on it. "Sorry, Walt. It's for a good cause." Pressing her shoulder against it she pushed. The sculpture tottered and then fell over. People screamed and scrambled out of the way. Taking advantage of the distraction, Holiday and Walter slipped away from the guards.

"Hey! Stop!"

Walter grabbed Holiday's hand and dragged her down the corridor blending into the crowd of people.

"Flight 230 to London, England now boarding." Came the announcement over the loud speaker. More gray suits converged onto the terminal.

"You get on the plane. I'll distract them. " Walter told Holiday.

"That's dangerous." Holiday protested. "You don't know what they'll do to you."

"Danger is my middle name." Walter scoffed. "Well, actually it's Frederick but Danger is much cooler." He shot off. "Hello, fellas! Looking for me?" He called in a high pitched voice. He was dressed like Holiday.

The gray suits saw a woman with dark hair waving at them before turning and running away.

Holiday chuckled as a group swarmed after him or rather her. She smoothed out her pants as she walked toward the agent collecting tickets. She handed the woman her ticket which was scanned and handed back to her. Holiday walked through the door and down to the tarmac where the plane was waiting. She got on line to walk up the stairs to the plane. A roar of an engine caught her attention. Holiday spun to the side to see a luggage car barreling down on her. Her fellow passengers ran for their lives. Holiday stood stunned before rolling to the side. As she was getting up, she felt a knee on her back. Two hands closed around her throat. Gasping for air, she struggled to push the person off of her.

"Good bye, doctor." A voice said sarcastically as she began to lose consciousness.

0o0

Rex was strapped in something that looked like a demented dentist chair. "Are you sure this will work?" Rex asked nervously as Five placed a metal cap on his head.

"Relax, luv. This is just a holographic visualizer. It just shows us what's in your mind… or what's not." She said slyly.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Rex deadpanned. "Why do we have this thing anyway?"

"To interrogate prisoners." Trey grinned.

"What?" Rex asked alarmed.

"We are go!" Five flipped the switch.

"Agh!" Rex closed his eyes expecting pain. When nothing happened, he opened one eye. He then relaxed and opened both his eyes. He gawked at the scene in front of him. A holographic map of the underground lair floated in the middle of the room.

"We can get in from there." Dos pointed with his cane at an entrance on the east side.

"No, they'll be expecting that." IV disagreed. "We should go in from here." He pointed at a different place.

"Why would we go either place, when this is the most open?" Five questioned them both.

"Because it's closest to the control center." IV argued pointing to the center of the lair.

"Bah, how do you even know that?" Dos growled.

Their arguments were lost to Rex. He just continued to stare at the holographic map. He heard the echoes from the nanites in his head. "Uh, guys?" The Numbers continued to argue. "Guys!" He tried again. "Hey, OLD PEOPLE!" He bellowed.

Startled, everyone turned to look at Rex. "I know how to get in. Their security systems seem to be concentrated here… here… and here. But there is one flaw." From his seat Rex pointed at a small air vent. "It's on the roof away from any security cameras. There's no alarm systems and it lands you smack dab in the control center… over here not there." Rex looked at IV pointedly while pointing off to the right of the center where IV had originally pointed.

"That is too small. Who can fit through that space?" IV scoffed.

"You." Rex smirked.

"What?" IV gaped.

"Your bandages!" Rex said matter-of-factly. "You can send your bandages down the air vent and shut off the security at the heart of the operation. Then we can just waltz in."

"I think that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" IV snapped. "How am I supposed to know where to go?"

"We have this map and me to show you." Rex said. Then he added. "But if you don't think you're capable of something so simple…"

"Of course, I'm capable!" IV said curtly.

"Perfect." Six said before he could say anything else. "IV, Rex and I will take the rooftop. Dos, Five and Trey will provide a distraction."

"This is foolhardy." Dos sniffed. "But it will do."

"I think it's brilliant." Five declared.

Trey shrugged. "All right, by me."

IV seeing himself outvoted merely grumbled but no longer objected.

"Let's move." Six walked out followed by the rest of The Numbers.

"Hey guys? I'm still hooked up to the machine. Hello? Can someone let me out?" Rex called out. When no one returned, he sighed. Closing his eyes, he formed his Blast Caster. The turbine burst through the strap and broke the chair. Rescinding his build, he looked sheepishly at the broken equipment.

"Rex! You coming?" He heard Six call.

"Yeah, yeah, coming!" Rex ran to catch up.

 **Yes, things are coming to a head, but be ready for a twist. Be prepared.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own.**

"Nothing personal. But your death will ensure that the Leader's enemy will suffer sufficiently before he is eliminated." A man's voice echoed in Holiday's ears.

Holiday's eyesight started to grow dark as her oxygen was cut off. She remembered Rex telling her the two times he was dying that his life flashed before his eyes. But as her life ebbed away she didn't relive her past she saw her future. She saw her baby being born. She saw her raising the child. She saw her and Six growing old together. All that would be taken away from her. Mustering the strength she didn't know she had, Holiday bucked the man off of her. Gasping for air, she grabbed a suitcase that had fallen off the car and swung it at the man. He was knocked back. Holiday stumbled to get away but after only making it a few feet fell to her knees. Her lungs burned, her eyes blurred, and everything ached. Forcing herself up, she ran. She heard bullets whizz by her but she ignored them. A moving target was hard to hit. She knew that. She had to keep moving. But she felt a sting in her leg before she stumbled again. This time no amount of will power could make her get up. In her fog she heard shouting and scuffling. Feeling hands pulling on her, she tried to fight them off.

"Becca, it's me! Beverly." She heard someone say.

Holiday stopped struggling and took a closer look at who was holding her.

"Beverly?" She croaked. Her voice sounded foreign to her.

"Good lord! You've been shot." Beverly sounded like she was going to cry. "Caesar!"

Another hand grabbed her. "Quick, get her to my Pod!" Holiday felt herself being lifted up. She couldn't understand why her vision was blurring or why everything was so incoherent. But in a minute nothing mattered as she slipped into unconsciousness.

0o0

Six, Rex and IV hid among a throng of tourists in the courtyard of the museum.

"This is stupid." IV muttered.

Rex and Six ignored him. Six was busy waiting for the signal. A loud explosion rocked the building.

"There's the signal." Six stated as tourists started screaming and running.

"Ya think?" IV asked sarcastically.

"They're not subtle." Rex said pushing against the flood of people running away. In the chaos they managed to get to the building. IV used his bandages to wrap around a curved corner of the roof. Rex and Six grabbed onto him as he hoisted them up. They made it to the second level. IV once again hoisted them up to the very top. They walked along the middle beam of the roof, the only surface that was not slanted. They had to work quick as they were fully exposed. But more explosions on the ground kept security occupied. Rex formed his BFS and sliced the vent open. Six opened the holographic map as IV attached some explosives and a GPS tracker to the end of his bandages. Looking at the map, IV's bandages floated down the vent. A red blip sent from the tracker showed on the map where he was currently located. Rex watched as the red blip on the map travel towards the target. When it arrived, the red blip began flashing rapidly. A different explosion erupted inside the building. Six glared at the mummy mercenary.

"How much C4 did you use?"

IV shrugged carelessly. "Enough."

"Guys, the security systems are kaput." Rex reminded them. Six still glaring at IV unsheathed his swords. Jumping off the roof to the second level he entered the building. A few confused guards saw him and attacked. Six easily blocked their bullets and sent them back at them. He quickly incapacitated them. Walking over to the secret entrance he sliced it open. The door fell before him revealing a stairway. IV and Rex arrived just as he stepped in.

"Coming?" He asked curtly as he disappeared down the stairwell.

IV wordlessly entered. Rex quickly texted a message before he followed after them.

0o0

"Oy, the boys did it." Five said as she noticed that the security cameras shut down.

"Well, let's git goin'." Trey walked through the now empty museum.

"Stop!" Someone shouted before he was cut down by Dos's cane. There was no one else to hinder them.

Trey cracked his knuckles as he stood before an ordinary looking door marked _Employees only_. A second later the door was on the ground as Trey, Five, and Dos entered the room.

"Over here." Five motioned them over to a metal cabinet. Trey easily pulled it from the wall to show a metal door hidden behind. Another explosion later and the three Numbers were walking through it. They came to a cavernous room devoid of life.

"Something's dodgy about this." Five commented.

"It's not right." Dos agreed inching back toward where they had entered. A large metal gate slammed behind them.

"Looks like we in a trap." Trey never lost his grin.

"Indeed." A bright light momentarily blinded them. A shadowy figure appeared in the overhang above them. "Do you think it would be so easy to break into The Network's home?"

"Why did you put the hit on us?" Five demanded. "What did we do to you?"

The shadow laughed. "You are in no position to demand things. Finish them."

At the end of the sentence, invisible doors opened as many assailants poured in. The first group dropped on their knees and opened fire.

0o0

Six reached the end of the stairway. Another metal door blocked his way. This one was too large to slice through. Connecting his swords together, he formed a tuning fork. Slamming it into the door he used the magnetic field to rip it from its hinges. Stepping in he found a large office similar to White's with a desk and chair at the end of the room. It was empty.

"Well, that's anticlimactic." Rex observed as he stepped next to Six.

Six was about to respond when Rex cried out in pain and dropped to the floor writhing. A disc attached to his back was sending electricity through him.

"Rex!" Six bent over when he was thrown back. Tucking into a roll he got back on his feet to see IV with his bandages wildly waving around him.

"Surprise." He said with an evil grin.

"IV? Are you cra…" Six trailed off. Suddenly, the pieces fell together. "You…" His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "It was you. You put the hit out on us."

"Figured it out did you? About time." IV smirked.

"Why?" He growled keeping one eye on him and one on Rex on the floor.

IV gave a crazed chuckle. "Do you even have to ask? I want to be One! And you know the only way to get there."

"You have to beat One in a battle to be One. And he's dead." Six reminded him.

"Mere technicality." IV said dismissively. "I've take over The Network."

"What?" That was news to Six.

"I've been busy." He said grimly. "But The Network is nothing compared to being One! If you are all gone, there's no one to say I'm not One."

"That's insane!" Six said calmly. "You know the rules…"

"To hell with them! I make my own rules now. I am The Network!" With that proclamation his bandages descended on Six.

Six flipped backwards to avoid the barrage. When he landed he sliced the edges of the bandages. IV pulled them back. He was not fazed.

"IV, you don't have to do this." Six tried to reason with him.

IV gave a mirthless laugh. "I know what I have to do. And it was fun messing with you. Have fun seeing your wife with another man?"

At the mention of Rebecca, Six's body tensed. "I told you before, IV. Leave her out of…"

"She's dead you know." He interrupted.

Six stood stock still.

"I had my man get close to her and…" He ran his finger under his throat. "She's probably lying in a morgue…" He never finished as Six viciously charged him. He barely had time to bring out his bandages to stop him. Six slashed at him unceasingly. IV taken by surprised by the relentless attack was barely able to keep him at bay. Six slammed him into the ground with the butt of his magna blade. Six stood over IV with his blade at his throat, panting.

"What are you waiting for?" IV asked contemptuously. "Finish it!"

Six raised his blade.

"Six!" Rex gasped from the floor still having electricity coursing through his body. "No. Don't. You're not him."

Six hesitated, his eyes never leaving IV. "You're right I'm not."

"You can never be me. Because I'm better than you!" IV kicked the blade from Six's hand. One of his bandages wrenched the other from his hand. Wrapping Six in his bandages, he lifted him up. "You are weak! You don't deserve to be a Number!" He brought the sword he had taken from him and lifted it up.

 **How was the twist? I had this in my brain for several years now. It's not exactly how it played out in my head but close enough.**

 **There are several people on this site who have been writing for this fandom, including, but not limited to, DraftsmanFive (Generator Rex: EVO's End), Bambeptin (Providence Emergency Channel), chachingmel123 (The Evolution of the Nanite Queen:One shot!), and Luminesyra ((Traumatized** _ **it is rated M so beware**_ **). There are also a number of foreign language stories from minuit666, Choomimo, and Luaa-Chan (well, foreign to me because I mainly speak English). So please check them out. We need to support each other with favs, follows, and reviews. Thank you.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own.**

"She's waking up!" Holiday heard her sister. She struggled to get up. "Take it easy sis." She felt herself being gently pushed back down.

"Wait. Six. I have to get to Six." She remembered what her would-be assassin had said.

"Take it easy, Dr. Holiday." Circe's voice joined her sister's.

"No." Holiday struggled to sit up. "I have to get to him. Where is he?"

"We don't know." Beverly said tersely.

"Well, they might be in China." Circe peeped up.

Both sisters looked at her. Circe turned red as she pulled out her phone and showed them the text.

"You've been in contact with Rex?" Beverly sounded hurt.

"I wanted to tell you but…" Circe knew she sounded lame even to her own ears.

"Nevermind." Holiday interrupted. Hurt feeling needed to be sorted out later. Right now the most important thing was to get to Six. "We have to get there. Someone's out for him."

"Yeah, some guy whose face is covered with cloth and a hoody." Tuck piped up. Holiday's head snapped in the direction of his voice. He stood there with Cricket and Walter.

"What did you say?" Her brain started running a million miles per hour.

"Yeah, Scarecrow said the guy who hired him had cloth over…" Tuck started clarifying.

"Cloth or bandages?" Holiday interrupted.

"Uh… he said cloth?" Tuck scratched his head.

"IV." Holiday said in a small voice.

"You don't need an IV." Caesar said. She didn't even notice him in the back.

"No, he's someone who used to know Six." She explained. "He must be the one trying to kill Six." Holiday fretted. "We need to get there now!"

"Caesar?" Beverly looked at her boyfriend.

"I can do that." Caesar started walking to the control room. Turning around briefly he said, "You might want to strap yourselves down." And then he left.

"Oh no!" Everyone scrambled out in a panic to get to a seat.

In contrast Beverly calmly placed the safety belt around her sister before sitting down in the stationary chair next to her. She put on the lap belt, crossed her legs, and pressed the intercom. "Ready."

Holiday felt all the blood rush to her head as the pod flew off.

0o0

"You are weak, useless!" IV sneered. "You could never be One."

"Maybe at some distant point in my life I had wanted to be One. But I have found something better…" Six paused.

IV lifted Six's own sword and was about to run it through him. But before he was able to carry through the deed, Rex still struggling with the electric currents coursing through his body tackled him.

"A family." Six finished with a smirk as the electricity coursing through Rex transferred to IV.

IV screamed and dropped Six and his sword. Rex gripped him not letting go. In order to stop the shocks, IV pulled off the disc on Rex's back. He then pushed an already weakened Rex off of him. Looking up his eyes widened as Six's fist closed in on his face.

IV flew backwards and hit the wall sliding down in a heap.

"Rex?" Six knelt over the boy. "You okay?"

"Asegúrese de que los respaldos de los asientos y las mesas de bandeja estén en su posición vertical completa." Rex mumbled incoherently.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Six picked Rex up.

"What about IV?" Rex muttered.

"I'll take care that later. But we need to take care of you first." Six said.

Six pulled Rex up the stairs. When they reached the top, they heard a tumult of noise from the outside. Looking in the courtyard, they saw The Numbers fighting for their lives.

Six looked at Rex who gave him a grim nod. Rex formed his Boogie Pack. Pulling down his goggles, he jumped off the balcony. As he neared the fighting, his hand formed his BFS attacking the Number's assailants. Six leapt from his perch. His swords flashed in the sunlight as he landed in the middle of the fray.

"Finally, decide to join us." Dos snorted. One hand was behind his back as he used his cane to hold the thugs back. He was unconcerned about the bullets and cuts as his skin was impossible to penetrate.

"It was a trap." Five filled Six in on the details on how they fought their way out into the open.

"IV put the hit on us. He wants to be One." Six informed them, as he fought off several of the attackers.

Dos snorted unimpressed. "He would, the cowardly jackal."

"I'm going to rip off his bollocks." Five declared as she batted several men away with her guitar.

"Oh ho, are you sure he had some?" Trey laughed at his own joke as he smashed two of the assailants head's together.

"We need to get out of here." Six said.

"No!" Dos objected. "We will confront IV and finish him. No mercy!"

"Really? You think you can fight off all these people?" Six asked. "Even with your EVO powers you can't take down all of them and then take out IV."

"If you want to leave, you may go. I don't need you." Dos snapped.

"Six. This may be our only shot at stopping all this." Rex reminded him.

"You need to rest." Six told Rex pointedly.

"Come on Six, you know me. It takes more than a little spark to keep me down." Rex smirked.

"Who knows how long you can keep that up before your builds fall apart." Six said. And as if to prove his point Rex's BFS broke when a swordsman attacked him. Six jumped in to protect him. He slammed the man to the ground. "You okay?" He addressed Rex who was holding his wrist.

"Yeah, fine." Rex said massaging his sword hand. He then formed his Bad Axes. "Okay, let's go."

"No Rex. You need to go. I told you before, this is my fight." Six said seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, and I told you… tough toenails!" Rex rushed headlong into the fight.

Six gritted his teeth at first but then he relaxed into almost a smile. He knew that whatever happened he would always have someone watching his back.

He began attacking the forces around him. After several minutes of holding their own, The Numbers and Rex were forced into a tight circle. Standing back to back they panted as they wondered why they were not being attacked.

"You should have left when you had the chance." IV appeared on the museum's balcony overlooking the courtyard.

"IV, you pendejo idioto!" Dos shouted in anger. "I swear I will make you like one of those who lie en el infierno!"

"Tut, tut." IV clucked his tongue unfazed by the threats. "Is that anyway to talk to your superior?"

"Superior to what? You're still a paranoid schizo whanker." Five insulted him.

"None of you deserve to be One!" IV shouted. "Look at you! You!" He pointed at Dos. "You're not even human! You!" He turned to Trey. "You're nothing more than a brainless brute." Next he glared at Five. "A woman will never be One." Finally he turned to Six. "And you! You are the worst of all. You have a conscience."

The Numbers stared angrily at IV who stood smugly with his arms crossed.

Then Rex interrupted. "Oh, oh do me next!" Rex raised his arm as if he was in school. His goofy grin dissolved into a smirk. "Puh-leeze! Six told me once that being One means you are the deadliest person in the world. And you? You're too insane in the membrane to ever be a real threat." He formed his Smack Hands. "Thrill me!" He began spinning his Smack Hands. He plowed a path through IV's men. The Numbers followed Rex taking out men left and right.

Six looked up to see IV screaming at his men. He knew this wouldn't end unless…

"Rex! Get me up there!" Six yelled.

Rex turned with his usual cocky grin. He put his Smack Hands together. "Going up?" Six took a running leap and as his foot touched Rex's makeshift catapult, he flew into the air. Somersaulting several times he landed next to IV.

"This ends now, IV." Six snapped.

IV narrowed his eyes. "It's One! And I agree… you die now!" He pulled out a gun from behind him and fired.

 **Sorry for the cliffhangers. But it's almost done. Hope you've enjoyed it so far. I wish I had more time. I think it would have been better. But I want to wrap this up and start Season 8. That's going to take a while too, I think. And when school starts I know that I won't have time to work on that. And then there's those pesky stand alone fics.**

 **Asegúrese de que los respaldos de los asientos y las mesas de bandeja estén en su posición vertical completa. = Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position.**

 **Pendejo idioto= stupid jackass**

 **en el infierno= in hell**


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own.**

Six bent backwards to avoid the bullet. The bullet whizzed by slicing a piece of his tie. As he twisted to get back up, his sword flew up to block the next one. It ricocheted back at IV hitting his gun hand. He grabbed his hand in pain. Gritting his teeth, he dodged just in time to avoid the edge of Six's blade. IV's bandages wrapped itself around Six's hand and swung him around to throw him off the building. Six grabbed one of the poles and used the momentum to return kicking IV in the chest. IV staggered back but recovered to send more bandages at Six. Six flipped, jumped, and bent to avoid each strand. Unfortunately, one of them caught the corner of his shoulder ripping a gash through his suit. Six grabbed the wound as blood seeped through. Suddenly, his vision started blurring.

"You like my new poison tipped bandages?" IV smirked. "Just a little starts to slow your organs. And few more strikes, well…"

"Shut up and fight." Six growled staggering up.

IV obliged and sent more bandages at Six. Six steadied his blades, ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder and the heaviness settling in his limbs. Remembering how he was overwhelmed last time, he connected his blades into a staff. He spun it, effectively blocking all the bandages. IV withdrew knowing he would not be able to attack him that way. They circled each other looking for an opening. With lightening speed, Six threw four shurikens. IV sent out his bandages to knock them out of the air. Because of the momentary distraction, Six managed to get close enough to nick him in the chest before his bandages forced him back.

"Clever." IV said as he checked the cut on his chest. "But you can't beat me twice the same way." Suddenly from his back two bandages sprung out catching Six by surprise as they made a wide arc and came at him from behind. He had just enough time to swing one blade around to cut off the poisoned tips. Unfortunately, it did not stop the rest of the bandages from hitting him square on his chest. The force knocked him on his back. He held on to his magna blades as he slid to a stop in front of IV who grinned with sadistic pleasure. Several of tendrils hovered over him and attempted to stab him in the heart. Six rolled out of the way while bringing up his blade severing the cloth from its master. Getting up he glared at IV. How much bandages could he still muster to fight? A second later he had his answer. IV swung his arm and a whip-like bandage emerged wrapping around Six's arm. He pulled and Six fell to his side onto his damaged shoulder. He grunted in pain as he swung his other blade to cut the binding.

"Give it up, Six." IV gloated as Six struggled to get up. "I've won. I have been slowly building my empire ever since our little run in at your wedding. Oh and speaking of your wedding…"

"Shut up!" Six growled again.

"Why afraid of what I'm about to say? You know she's dead by now… lying in a pool of blood? You couldn't protect her. You can't protect anyone!" IV taunted.

Six didn't answer but his gut twisted in fear. The picture of Rebecca kissing another man came unbidden into his mind. IV could have had her killed or she could have left him. Either way she was gone from his life. He felt his will to fight dimming. IV struck him with the palm of his hand. Six was pushed back by his attacks. He couldn't seem to bring his arms up to defend himself. Then IV did a flying kick hitting him squarely on his chest. Six slammed against the railing breaking it and falling to the ground. He clutched at the banner hanging on the side of the building. The banner immediately ripped vertically but it slowed down his fall. However, he still fell hard, rolling to a stop. His blades clattered at his side.

"Six!" He heard Rex call out. But he was too tired to move… not just physically tired but emotionally as well. He didn't have it in him to go any more. He felt the poison working in his body, he felt his heart breaking, and he felt like giving up.

"Six!" This was a different voice… her voice.

"Rebecca?" He lifted his head. His sight was blurry but he could make out a figure running to him.

0o0

"We're here." Caesar announced. Beverly turned on the monitor. The screen showed the mayhem in the courtyard of the museum.

Rebecca felt Caesar's Pod land. She unstrapped herself from the table. Pulling back her covers and yanking off the wires connected to her, she dashed to the exit.

"Becca, wait! You're still weak." Beverly yelled. But Rebecca ignored her. The elevator lowered her to the ground. Before it even touched the floor, Rebecca leapt off and ran towards to the museum. She had to get to Six. When she got to the doorway, she frantically searched the madness in the crowd.

Suddenly she spotted someone in green fighting in the museum building. Six! To her horror she saw him fall off the edge. Luckily, he grabbed the banner. He still landed pretty hard but she had seen him walk away from a plane crash without batting an eye. But when he didn't move, her heart dropped.

She heard Rex call his name. He still didn't move.

"Six!" She screamed running through the crowd.

"Doc? What are you doing here?" Rex gaped. Some of IV's men noticed her and started to intercept her. Holiday evaded a few and punched one that got in her way. Rex ran to help her. He beat back anyone who got in her way.

"Thank you." She called as she ran past Rex. "Six!" She reached him.

"Rebecca?" Six sounded terrible. He held out one hand. She grabbed it and fell on him. "Am I dead?" He whispered.

"Yes. Because I'm going to kill you." She sniffled into his shoulder.

Six smiled in spite of himself.

"How are you still alive?" IV's cried. Both Six and Rebecca looked up to see IV lowering himself to the ground.

"We are not easy to get rid of." Rebecca said coldly as she helped Six up.

"Well, you've made it easier for me to kill you both." IV retorted.

Six pushed Rebecca behind him. "You can try." He charged, taking IV by surprise. He slammed into the mummy mercenary. They both hit the wall. Six stepped back as IV gasped for air. Six's knees buckled and he fell on one knee. Rebecca ran to his side.

"Poisoned." He wheezed. Rebecca's eyes widened. She glanced at IV. Her sharp eyes noticed at the edge of a loose bandage from his arm that it flashed in the sunlight. Picking up one of Six's blade, she ran and cut off the edge while IV was recovering. IV shoved her. It was all he did because Six materialized and punched him in his face. They wrestled each other to the ground. Holiday, meanwhile, took the bandage and started running back out. As an aggressor blocked her way, he was blown back by a sonic scream.

"Dr. Holiday!" Circe was by her side.

"Circe!" Holiday noticed that the small party she had come with had joined the fight. Cricket and Tuck engaged the enemy in hand to hand combat. Caesar was in his suit disabling men with his sonic wave device. Beverly stood calmly by his side pointing out who he needed to take out. Even Walter was there running people over with his scooter. They were evening the odds.

"Circe, I need to get back to the Research Pod." Holiday said urgently. Circe nodded. She blasted a trail through the men like Moses parting the Red Sea. Holiday ran through the clear pathway. Circe followed to keep her safe. Once at the ship, she pushed the bandage into a drawer. The computer began analyzing the poison.

"Okay, I got it." Holiday grabbed several vials from Caesar's stash of chemicals. Circe watched in fascination as Holiday's hands became a blur with measuring, mixing, and studying. A few minutes later, she seemed satisfied with her result. Putting the liquid into a syringe, she turned to Circe.

"Okay, let's go." Holiday left so fast that Circe had to run to catch up.

0o0

Six and IV stood panting facing each other. Neither was in good shape.

"Nothing's going to stop me from being One." IV hissed.

"You can have the title. It means nothing to me." Six hissed.

"That's what you say. But I know given the chance you would take it. So I'm making sure none of you get that chance." IV swung his other arm as more bandages flew out. Six swatted them away. "Is that what it's all about? You think we would come after your title? But what about the countless people who would kill to be One. You'll always be on edge waiting for someone to come… and you know they'll come." Six goaded.

"Shut up!" IV cried as his attacks became sloppy.

"And you can't keep watch forever! One day when you least expect it… in bed… in the shower… on the toilet… That's when they'll get you!"

"SHUT UP!" IV swung erratically.

It was the opening that Six was waiting for. He grabbed the cloth and yanked it hard. IV was pulled towards Six. His magna blade went upward. IV was left on the floor clutching his bleeding chest.

"I told you can't win this way!" IV hissed. More bandages closed over his wound. "I've found a way to regenerate." He grinned at Six's shocked face before punching him. Six staggered back before falling. The poison was affecting him at rapid rate now. IV ran to finish him when a sonic scream hit him. Circe stood in front of Six while Holiday jabbed a needle into his arm. After injecting the solution, she pulled the needle out.

"Antidote. It should start working in a few…" Holiday was saying when Six's drooping head snapped up. He gently kissed her stopping her in midsentence. Then getting up he stepped in front of Circe.

"IV." He said in a strong firm voice. "We end this now… like men." He dropped his blades and got into a fighting stance.

IV glared at him. "You're a fool! I can have you killed…"

"With whom?" Dos's voice came from behind. IV spun around to see his men's bodies littering the courtyard. Trey was kicking a few that were still moving while Five bludgeoned anything that moved. Rex was standing with the new people who had arrived. "You are alone." Dos sniffed contemptuously.

IV gritted his teeth. "You!" He addressed Six. "This is your fault."

"Really?" Rex asked incredulously. "You're the one who put out the hit. You're the one trying to kill us. You're… a loon. And I thought Gatlock was a nut."

IV didn't seem to hear Rex. Still staring at Six, he angrily got into a fighting stance. "We end this." He echoed Six's words.

Everyone took a step back as the two men charged each other. They punched, kicked, dodged, rolled, and flipped in an impressive if deadly display of prowess.

Six was obviously the more graceful and competent fighter. IV was all power and brute force. He also relied too much on his bandages. Finally, Six landed a palm strike across IV's face knocking him down on his back. IV weakly tried to move. Six grabbed his blades and stood over IV.

"Go ahead finish it!" IV mocked. "You don't have the guts."

No one said anything. Rebecca held her breath as Six lifted one of his blades and plunged it down.

But he pierced the cloth of the hoodie to the ground. IV opened his eyes to see he was not dead. "I knew it. You're weak!" He accused.

Instead of answering, Six picked up his other blade and began methodically cutting through all the layers of the bandages.

"What are you doing? STOP!" IV screamed as Six removed every scrap of cloth including on his face.

The on lookers gasped as they saw the scars and disfigured face underneath.

"NO, don't look at me! I'm going to kill you all!" He screamed insanely.

"You're finished." Six said flatly as he turned to walk away.

In a rage, IV pulled the sword pinning him down. He lunged after Six. Holiday screamed. Six turned with his sword but before IV could reach him something burst through his chest. Blood pooled in his mouth as he fell to his knees. Dropping face first to the ground, revealed Dos's cane.

"No mercy but there must be honor." Dos said frostily.

Dos calmly walked over and pulled his cane from the body. Picking up the edge of IV's hoodie, he wiped the blood off before standing up.

Six stared at him.

"I told you. I will be the one with the pleasure of finishing you." Dos said bitterly. "And it will be with you only." He glanced at Holiday and Rex. "Not your family." He turned and walked away. No one tried to stop him.

"Well, it be fun." Trey gave a small salute. "See you on the flip side." He too tottered off.

"The nit." Five muttered. She saw Holiday staring at her. Five gave her a wink. "Don't worry, luv. Your luv has only eyes for you." With that she took off as well. Holiday's mouth fell open. Looking at Six, who stood uncertainly now that the danger had passed, she swallowed hard.

"Are you okay?" She asked tentatively.

He nodded. "I'm fine."

"Good." Beverly piped up walking up to him. She slugged him in the stomach. Six doubled over clutching his abdomen. "Do that to my sister again, and I swear it's going to be the nuts next time." She walked away calmly.

"Beverly!" Rebecca ran to her husband. She wasn't sure if she was going to laugh or cry.

"I'm fine." Six answered again. He looked at her apprehensively. "Are you? Are we?"

"Six, we need to talk." She said solemnly.

0o0

"Hey?" Circe walked into the hanger to find Beverly working on the engine of her car.

"Oh, hey." Beverly said quietly wiping the grease from her fingers.

"Um, can we talk?" Circe asked timidly.

"I don't know. Do you have time?" Beverly asked curtly then regretted it when she saw Circe wince.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time.

"You go first." They said again in unison. They started laughing.

"I'm sorry for not telling you. Rex thought it best not to let people know. The Network was bad news…" Circe rushed headlong into her apology.

"No, I understand it's just that…" Beverly stopped trying to get her thoughts in order. "I guess I'm jealous that I'm not your first confidante any more."

"What? That's silly. Of course you are." Circe protested.

Beverly shook her head. "No. Ever since you went to college with Rex, Noah, and Claire you rarely call to talk. And when we do talk it's short and awkward."

"Oh." Circe stopped to think of when it was last she did have a good talk with Beverly. "I guess, I've been busy." She said hesitantly. "But I know that's not much of an excuse."

Beverly shrugged. "I realize it's partially my fault too. I never said anything."

"Well, it doesn't have to be this way. How about tomorrow we have a girls' day out." Circe suggested. "We can go get our hair done, go shopping, and…"

"Have custard." Beverly finished the sentence.

"You bet."

They smiled at each other.

0o0

Six stared at Holiday. She was sitting on the side of the bed staring at the floor. He swallowed hard. "Are you sure?" He asked hoarsely.

Her eyes snapped up. "What? Of course… what kind of stupid…" She sputtered angrily.

"I'm sorry. I… I just don't know what..." Six sank down next to her. She stiffened. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I don't know if I'm ready for this… ever."

Holiday relaxed into him. "No one's ever ready."

"I know you'll be an amazing mother… I'll probably be the reason the kid need therapy." Six said wryly.

Holiday chuckled despite herself. She pulled away to look at him. "Six, that's ridiculous. You are going to be a great father… Just look at Rex."

"That might not be a great example." Six said flatly.

"What are you talking about? Rex is a well-adjusted young man. And I know that you are proud of him." Holiday chided him.

"He's a good kid." Six agreed.

"And you'll be a good father." Holiday reassured him.

"Like I've proven to be a good husband?" Six muttered.

Holiday sighed wearily.

"I am sorry." Six said.

"I know. You're not perfect. None of us are. We all make mistakes." Rebecca repeated like a mantra.

"You can stop saying that. I know you are angry." Six stated.

There was a pause. "I am." Rebecca admitted. "Maybe I'm more angry than I love you right now. I was afraid that you'd do this. And then you did. I don't know how to feel." She got up and paced a little while Six looked on nervously. She stopped and looked at him. "But I made a promise for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." She raised an eyebrow. "And since Beverly has decided to let you live, I intend to keep my end of the deal."

Six smiled a little, getting up. "Your sister can be… spirited." Then he got serious. "I thought I could keep you safe if I left. My old life is not something I want you to get caught up with."

"Oh Six, your _whole_ life in now my life too. Whatever you have to face, I want to face them with you." Holiday got close to him. She looked up into his face trying to will him to understand.

"What about David?" Six asked.

"What about him?" Rebecca asked curtly. "That wasn't him who kissed me. And even if it was, I'll have you know I slapped him."

"Hard?" Six queried.

"Very." Rebecca said firmly.

"Good." Six said with some satisfaction.

" I'm here, Six, for all your triumphs and mistakes. Don't cut me out of your life." Rebecca pleaded.

"What about the baby?" Six asked. "Does the child have to pay for my mistakes too?"

Holiday shook her head. "Six, we can't see what the future holds. You said that we have to live our lives." She then smirked. "Besides if this one is anything like you, bad guys should be the ones afraid." She placed her hand on her stomach.

Six placed a hand over hers. "I promise to be there for both of you."

"You'll never leave again?" She asked breathlessly.

"Not without your knowledge." He replied.

Rebecca thought about it. "I guess that will have to do."

"Rebecca, know that… I love you… even long after I'm gone… I will always love you." Six said in a low voice.

Rebecca, who not use to him being so sentimental, teared up.

"I love you too Six… always." Rebecca said.

Six bent down and kissed her tenderly.

0o0

In the lower regions of Providence where few people tread, a Providence scientist wheeled in a gurney covered with a sheet. From the outline there was a body underneath.

When he reached some metal doors, he swiped his card. The doors slid open allowing him access.

"Hello Burns. Got another stiff for me?" A man in a lab coat put down his newspaper.

"Yeah, Martin. It's a doozy. He's real messed up. Never mess with Agent Six." Burns pretend to shiver.

"Ah, one of his handiwork." Martin got up and pulled the covers back. He winced. "You weren't kidding. But some of the scar tissue look old. Still has bandages on him. Well, help me put him in the cooler. I'll do an autopsy later."

Martin opened a large drawer on the wall. The two men lifted the body, sheet and all into it. Martin pushed it shut.

"See you later, Martin." Burns wheeled the empty gurney out.

"Later." Martin sat back down at the desk and returned to his paper.

In the cool, quiet of the room, a white bandage slithered through the crack from the drawer before slipping back in.

 **I can't believe I'm done. Thank you for reading. The fight scenes were so much cooler in my head. It was a chore to write them down. I'm exhausted. I will start the next story (season 8) after I take a break but I had to finish this one. I hope it was adequate. I hope you liked it. And don't forget to read and leave comments for the other writers on this site.**

 **Keep Generator Rex ALIVE!**

 **God bless.**


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